Va Disability Sleep Apnea Service Connected

For direct service connection you must show either of the following.

Va disability sleep apnea service connected. A medical diagnosis of sleep apnea confirmed by a sleep study in VA medical records or private records sleep study in past 12 months Evidence of a service-connected primary disability such as PTSD depression anxiety sinusitis rhinitis weight gain AND. This is because sleep apnea is abnormally difficult to prove as a disability that is service-connected. While most veterans dont have a diagnosis while serving they can use buddy statements to prove their condition existed at the time of service. If you have sleep apnea and any of the following conditions there may be a link between your service-connected condition and the other condition.

A current service-connected primary disability eg your current VA Tinnitus rating AND Medical nexus evidence establishing a connection between the service-connected Tinnitus and the current disability youre trying to connect eg Migraines Anxiety Depression Somatic Symptom Disorder Sleep Apnea. At one point sleep apnea was the most prevalent service-connected respiratory disability for which claims were submitted to the VA. Many veterans attempt to service-connect sleep apnea as a primary disability condition and cant seem to figure our why the VA keeps denying your sleep apnea claim. The main problem is that you didnt get a medical diagnosis of sleep apnea while on active duty and you never did a sleep study.

Here nexus is the connection between your service and the current diagnosis of sleep apnea. The rating criteria are as follows. The rate was a staggering 22. Nexus is simply a connection or series of connections linking two or more things.

But make no mistake. VBAs statistics show that VA awarded 282323 service-connected sleep apnea ratings. For example you can use a statement from someone you served with to show you snored really loudly and that you stopping breathing in your sleep for periods of time. Sleep apnea can be service-connected in many different ways.

This is what will compel VA to acknowledge service connection and rate your disability for sleep apnea fairly with the benefits you deserve. A condition is service-connected secondarily when an already service-connected condition or its medication causes or aggravates another condition. If you developed sleep apnea during your military service you could be eligible to receive disability benefits. 1 Direct Service Connection for Sleep Apnea.

If so you may be eligible for VA disability for sleep apnea if you can show a nexus to your military service. The first way to service connect your disability is by direct service connection. These claims accounted for 2667 of all body system disabilities in the fiscal year 2017. But there are several challenges to winning veterans VA disability for sleep apnea and many veterans receive denials after they apply.

Specifically VA uses 38 CFR 4104 Schedule of Ratings Cardiovascular System Diagnostic Code 7101. Service-connected medical issues including sleep apnea may be deemed to be directly caused by military service there may be a presumptive condition that includes sleep apnea or you may experience sleep apnea as a secondary condition associated with some other VA rated issue. Since many things can cause sleep apnea like diabetes insulin resistance sinus problems deviated septum acid reflux PTSD heart problems stroke prior injuries to the head and spine anything that deviates the diaphragm like degenerative changes of the spine and ascites from liver disease cirrhosis or hepatitis c if the veteran has service connection for any of those conditions then you can add the sleep apnea as being caused by those conditions. How do you prove nexus in a sleep apnea claim.

Those numbers represent awarded claims. VA rates hypertension the same whether service connection is established directly presumptively or secondarily due to sleep apnea. Concerningly it is also one of the conditions most rejected by the VA as the vast majority are regularly turned down.