The Veteran's left-hand disability is granted service connection, but the restrictive airway disease claim is denied. The effective date for sleep apnea service connection is set at August 8, 2021.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided a positive nexus opinion linking the Veteran's current left-hand disability to his in-service hand trauma during combat.
- Claimed conditions
- left-hand disability, restrictive airway disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- February 27, 2026
- Citation
- A26017935
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 A26017935.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for tinnitus and an acquired psychiatric disability were dismissed due to improper concurrent elections.,The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of back, sciatic nerve, right shoulder, foot, skin, left-hand, or right-hand disabilities. The claim for headaches was also denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left-hand disability has been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his military service.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for hypertension has also been denied due to the lack of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more, systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more, or requiring continuous medication.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to potential in-service exposure, but no specific rating or effective date is provided.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for low back, right shoulder, left-hand, and tinnitus disabilities. The claim for right ear hearing loss is remanded due to the grant of service connection for tinnitus. The claims for neck disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability are also remanded.
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