The Board has granted service connection for OSA as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle strain, left knee strain and bilateral pes planus with obesity as an intermediate step. The decision is based on a finding that the service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated the OSA.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by the VA examiner K.M., who concluded that the Veteran's weight gain and obesity were due to his service-connected left ankle condition, bilateral foot condition, and left knee condition, supported the conclusion that the OSA was secondary to these conditions with obesity as an intermediate step.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Left Ankle Strain, Left Knee Strain, Bilateral Pes Planus and Plantar Fasciitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- February 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26009116
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A26009116.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for vertigo and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's hearing loss is not rated higher than 10 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for OSA and insomnia must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and opinions, as well as a failure to obtain TERA opinions on all relevant exposures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and a separate rating for chronic pulmonary embolism due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee strains, as well as shin splints, were granted increased ratings. The Veteran also received special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from October 25, 2017 to March 11, 2024.
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