The Veteran's service-connected hypertension is found to have contributed to his obstructive sleep apnea, which has been granted as secondary to service-connected sinusitis and rhinitis.,Service connection for a cardiac disability (claimed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) has been established due to the Veteran's conceded exposure to Agent Orange during service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected sinusitis and rhinitis, which are found to have contributed to his hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Atrial Fibrillation, Hypertensive Heart Disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 19, 2026
- Citation
- A26015212
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 A26015212.
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 Veteran's CAD warrants a 60 percent rating, but the Board has determined that an earlier effective date is warranted due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding direct service connection.
- Granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for coronary heart disease effective February 10, 2021. The Veteran's condition did not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date or increased rating.
- Granted
Service connection for OSA is granted, and the Veteran's initial ratings for atrial fibrillation, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity neuralgia, and left upper extremity neuralgia are all granted at 10 percent.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted SMC at the rate of 50% for his service-connected conditions from April 20, 2020 to June 7, 2021.
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