The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder, lumbosacral strain, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. The private clinician provided a medical opinion supporting this finding.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's OSA is caused or aggravated by his service-connected conditions (major depressive disorder, lumbosacral strain, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy) with obesity acting as an intermediate factor.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), major depressive disorder, lumbosacral strain, bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26009205
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 A26009205.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Granted
The Veteran's OSA is granted as service connected. The Veteran's infectious disease claim and stomach disability claim are remanded for further examination.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.
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