Citation Nr: 21065799
Decision Date: 10/27/21	Archive Date: 10/27/21

DOCKET NO. 17-56 703
DATE: October 27, 2021

REMANDED

Entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to service-connected disabilities is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran served on active duty with the U.S. Air Force from April 2010 to May 2013. 

He testified at a virtual Board hearing in October 2021 before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge. 

1. Entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.

The February 2017 opinion did not adequately address whether the Veteran's asthma aggravated his sleep apnea.   

Moreover, the Veteran now contends that his sleep apnea might be secondary to his posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  As such, the Board finds that remand is appropriate in order to obtain another medical opinion from an examiner other than the February 2017 examiner.  

The matters are REMANDED for the following action:

Obtain an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea had its onset in service.  The examiner is asked to consider the Veteran's lay reports of sleeping problems in service.  The need for an in-person examination is left to the discretion of the examiner.  

The examiner should also provide an opinion addressing whether his sleep apnea was caused or aggravated beyond its natural progression by service-connected PTSD and/or asthma. 

 

 

H.M. WALKER

Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans' Appeals

Attorney for the Board	A. Price, Esq. 

The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.