Va Compensation Sleep Apnea Secondary Ptsd

In an IMO a doctor can explain to the VA why he or she believes that your sleep apnea was at least as likely as not a caused or b aggravated by your PTSD.

Va compensation sleep apnea secondary ptsd. We know that sleep apnea can be caused or related to other conditions common to Veterans but what about the conditions sleep apnea causes. The most common condition that sleep apnea is connected to is PTSD. The causes of sleep apnea in military members and Veterans can be related to toxin exposure such as smoke from burn pits trauma both physical and mental weight gain secondary to disabilities that prevent exercise among other things. A medical diagnosis of sleep apnea confirmed by a sleep study in VA medical records or private records sleep study in past 12 months.

IMOs can provide the VA with the information they need to grant your sleep apnea secondary service-connection. For example sleep deprivation insomnia hyperarousal and daytime sleepiness all affect both PTSD and sleep apnea. To receive compensation the Veteran would need to prove service connection for sleep apnea secondary to PTSD. If you think your sleep apnea is secondary to your PTSD see our previous post Sleep Apnea Secondary to PTSD.

Secondary Service Connection for Sleep Apnea In order to receive VA disability benefits veterans conditions must be service-connected. Some examples of conditions secondary to PTSD are sleep apnea gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD hypertension migraines and erectile dysfunction. VA claims for Sleep Apnea secondary to PTSD can be rated at 0 10 30 or 50 depending upon the severity of your sleep apnea and how your symptoms affect your work life and social functioning. You can receive additional VA disability compensation for each of these conditions if you show they are related to your service-connected PTSD.

If a veteran has both of these conditions they may be entitled to VA disability benefits. Know Your Medical Records in Detail. Tip 3 to your CP Exam for Sleep Apnea. A showing of causation requires that the secondary disability be shown to be proximately caused by or proximately aggravated by another service-connected disability.

An increasing number of scientific studies show that sleep apnea and PTSD are co-morbid conditions. Active duty military members have been shown to be more susceptible to sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. The problem with this secondary linkage approach between OSA and PTSD is that the medical research is questionable at best and thus I expect more VA denials than approvals. Sleep Apnea as a Secondary Claim Service connection on a secondary basis requires a showing of causation.

Most veterans link PTSD and sleep apnea in that PTSD can lead to weight gain and sleep apnea is associated with obesity. A veteran can also establish service connection for sleep apnea on a secondary basis. But rapidly accumulating data suggests sleep apnea is also associated with alterations in glucose metabolism increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes. In this case there must be a medical nexus to link the sleep apnea to their already service-connected disability.

Many veterans attempt to connect Sleep Apnea Secondary to PTSD. Now if a Veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD and are also displaying symptoms of sleep apnea they could receive disability compensation for both PTSD and sleep apnea. Think Outside the Box. This means that a veteran has an already service-connected disability that caused the veteran to have sleep apnea.

Know What the VA is Looking For. By law there are three evidentiary elements that must be satisfied for sleep apnea secondary conditions to prove secondary service connection. We cant find ANYTHING ANYWHERE that says PTSD causes Sleep Apnea. Sleep Apnea Secondary to PTSD.

Tip 1 for Preparing for your CP Exam for Sleep Apnea as a Secondary Condition to PTSD. For example a veteran may have a 70 rating for PTSD and then get service connected at 50 of sleep apnea with CPAP secondary to PTSD.