The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death due to sleep apnea contributing to drug overdose, finding that there is not an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions were against a causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected sleep apnea and his fatal drug overdose.
- Claimed conditions
- Sleep apnea, Cocaine use disorder, Methamphetamine use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2026
- Citation
- A26022052
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 A26022052.
What this means for you
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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 Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, as it is unclear whether his condition is caused or aggravated by his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities and obesity. The AOJ will need to provide a VA examination to clarify these issues.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the claims for psychiatric disability and sleep apnea.,Service connection was granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to a service-connected back disability, but denied for right wrist disability.
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