injury case. How you mix them is the hard part. If you want to learn how to implement these strategies to get the VA benefits you deserve, click here to speak with a VA claim expert for free. There are 3 things that the human body cannot live or function without: Blood/Oxygen, Food/Water and Sleep. To prove that sleep apnea is service connected, the smart Veteran is going to have to connect the dots for them. 3 Steps to Veteran Disability Benefits for Sleep Apnea, 6 Tips for Your C&P Exam for Sleep Apnea Secondary to PTSD, 3 Ways to Get a VA Rating for Insomnia (The Insiders Guide). See you on the inside! At one point sleep apnea was the most prevalent service-connected respiratory disability for which claims were submitted to the VA. Concerningly, it is also one of the conditions most rejected by the VA, as the vast majority are regularly turned down. In our experience, most VA disability claims are won or lost based on medical evidence. New Rule allows Presumptive Service Connection for Veterans particulate matter (burn pit) claims. Viet Nam Vet. * A good Lay and Medical presentation and assessment of the sleep apnea symptoms you have had from service, or service-discharge, to the present day. Cleveland, OH: 600 Superior Ave. East, Fifth Third Building, Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH, 44114 <>/Parent 3 0 R/Type/Page/Contents 4 0 R/Tabs/S/Resources<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/Font<>>>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Rotate 0>> Do I Need a CPAP Machine to be Service-Connected? The problem is that many disabilities that arise in service are not actually diagnosed in service. VA Disability Claim Timeline For Active Duty Members & Veterans, Chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention or cor pulmonale, or; requires tracheostomy, Requires use of breathing assistance device such as continuous airway pressure (CPAP) machine, Asymptomatic but with documented sleep disorder breathing. The Veteran was granted entitlement to service connection for major depressive disorder in a May 2016 rating decision. The most trusted name in education-based resources for Veterans. After that knee replacement, he could no longer lift weights;thesudden weight gain the resulted caused his obstructive sleep apnea. The examiner noted that a major cause of sleep apnea was weight gain and that the veteran weighed 155 pounds in service and 255 pounds in March 2013. As this represents a total grant . Honestly, they are just saying it. If so, you may be eligible for VA disability for sleep apnea if you can show a nexus to your military service. Below is the schedule for rating disability for Chronic Fatigue Sundrome. I did not have a va physical until about 13 years after seperation from service. The BEST Path to Proving Sleep Apnea is Service Connected. I got so many questions that I began to do a lot of research into how to service connect Sleep Apnea claims and what is happening with Sleep Apnea in the Veterans community. presentit neatly andpersuasivelyto the VA. BVA denied VAbenefits for sleep apnea in 76% of the appeals. This is a great group of people who really care about your well being. If youre experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, and suspect your sleep apnea arose from your time on active duty (or was or aggravated by a currently service-connected disability), you should consider seeking a diagnosis and pursuing compensation for this disability. Many civilian doctors have NO CLUE what a Nexus letter is or the importance of it! FromApril 2013 to April 2014, the BVA denied 76% of Veterans Sleep Apnea appeals. I have also had a stroke. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted during the course of sleep. Like researchers that have been searching for the Holy Grail the harder they look, the less they find. You're not alone. Once diagnosed the more difficult step is required, which is proving the service-connection for sleep apnea. DRO sided with VA expert (not surprise) who claimed SA was least likely as not occurred or caused by service, moreover, VA expert justified opinion by THE FOLLOWINGS;(time 12yrs since retirement, age 50 at the time of sleep study, and weight gain ?). Weight gain can be tied to several different conditions. Dear Veteran, Heres the brutal truth about VA disability claims: According to our data, 8/10 (80%) of veterans reading this message right now are underrated by the VA. Emerging research indicates a strong association between PTSD and sleep apnea.The link between sleep apnea and PTSD is likely due to the fact that many factors that aggravate PTSD also aggravate sleep apneaincluding sleep deprivation, insomnia, hyperarousal, and daytime sleepiness. OSA is a common denial veterans receive when pursuing a VA claim, but it doesnt have to beif you understand the condition and what your claim must include in order to be successful. By showing that the sleep apnea was proximately caused or proximately aggravated by another service-connected disability you have a better chance of building your claim. Medical opinions will be CRUCIAL, as these are not NECESSARY connections. This means you do NOT currently have the VA disability rating and compensation YOU deserve, and you could be missing out on thousands of dollars of tax-free compensation and benefits each month. A/8un$zjHNSPU%=8HF Z*v@l(?6Nx/ Ann Margaret really took the time to explain things to me. Some of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea include: People who suffer from sleep apnea are often unaware of the breathing disturbances, finding out about them from a bed partner or roommate. Required fields are marked *. Its almost as much work and it can often take as much dedication. endstream endobj 42 0 obj <>stream This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Washington, D.C.: 1776 I Street, NW, 9th Floor, Washington, D.C 20006 Many conditions that are service related can cause obesity, like diabetes (and diabetes medications), depression, and injuries that result in lack of mobility. And that means you are going to have to think through your sleep apnea claim. Second example.lets say the veteran has service connection for PTSD. If you need assistance in appealing your claim for CFS,let us know here! I stated on my retirement physical that I sometimes have trouble sleeping at night. Everyone I came in contact with there was very nice. Brian Reeseis a VA benefits expert, author of the #1 Amazon Bestseller You Deserve It: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Veteran Benefits Youve Earned, andfounder of VA Claims InsiderThe Most Trusted Name in Education-Based Resources for Veterans.. Brian Reese here, Air Force service-disabled Veteran and Founder @ VA Claims Insider. application/pdf Sleep apnea can be your link or nexus for filing claims for: Sleep apnea is a high-value claim in the VA world of ratings. Therefore, because the VA is particularly strict with claims regarding sleep apnea, it is highly recommended that you file your claim with as much evidence as you can obtain. IN THE APPEAL OF . Winning a VA claim to service connect sleep apnea is hard. These temporary breathing disruptions or lapses can occur from dozens to hundreds of times per night. Estimate your 2023 VA Rating & Compensation for FREE! 38 0 obj <> endobj Its over 165 pages long, and took 9 months of research. Hear from fellow Veterans just like you, with many of our Veteran Success Managers having gone through our programs. As a matter of fact, it may be easier to substantiate with medical records that the sleep apnea symptoms started after the diagnosis of diabetes. Here are some common symptoms of sleep apnea: Contrary to the myth, sleep apnea does not need to be diagnosed while on active duty. Perkins Studdard LLC makes no representation that it can obtain the same results as reported in cases on this web site in other legal matters. See our tips on how to obtain a credible nexus letter, Both sinusitis and rhinitis are linked to sleep apnea, Emerging research indicates a strong association between PTSD and sleep apnea, You Deserve It: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Veteran Benefits Youve Earned, 9 Secrets Strategies for Winning Your VA Disability Claim, Disrupted breathing in which a persons respiration can become labored or even stop for up to a minute at a time, Limited attention span or difficulty thinking clearly, Snoring, including snoring that is especially loud and involves gasping, choking, or snorting that may cause a person to briefly wake up, #1. To find the definitive guide for service-connection for sleep apnea, check it out here. Then, watch this video of a former C&P examiner revealing her tips for getting your sleep apnea service-connected! They were at all times attentive and on top of my case. (The Insiders Guide), Insider Tips: How to Schedule a Sleep Study with the VA. How to File a Claim on VA.gov (step-by-step)! Sounds easy enough, right? * WHERE to get the Lay Evidence that will give REAL POWER to your Sleep Apnea Claim. Jessica Rodriguez has a degree in Health Information Management and has 15+ years of experience in patient care as a Nurses Assistant. SvKve5.YmPE}=;vpb -GW2RN Follow the steps below to remedy the above-listed typical reasons for denial, and youll be much closer to a winning claim! The most trusted name in education-based resources for Veterans. At VA Claims Insider, we help you understand and take control of the claims process, so you can get the rating and compensation youre owed by law. I read hundreds of cases. The criteria for entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to PTSD with major depressive disorder, are not met. I cannot recommend Jason and his staff enough. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several types of sleep apnea, but the most common is obstructive sleep apnea. I recd another denial (3rd) Jun 30, 2017. Have sleep apnea, AO esposed, 65 in VN; being treated for mild PTSD for one & 1/2yrs. If you have symptoms of OSA, consider obtaining a sleep study, also known as polysomnography. Brian isalso the CEOofMilitary Disability Made Easy, which is the worlds largest free searchable database for all things related to DoD disability and VA disability claims and has served more than 4,600,000 military members and veterans since its founding in 2013. These pauses can happen several times an hour when the apnea is severe. One of the most straightforward ways to achieve service connection of a particular disease or disability is to show that you had that disease or disability while in service. Result: Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, secondary to service-connected GERD, with history of esophagitis and hematemesis, is granted. Heres WhyMost Veterans are not proving Sleep Apnea is Service Connected. Chris, thank you for the posts and training videos you are providing to veterans. While we still have our home base in Florida, As a fellow disabled Veteran this is shameful and Im on a mission to change it. If you need a lawyer, fill out a contact form at the law firm of Attig Steel: https://www.attigsteel.com/contact-us/. Therefore, records of an in-service injury, illness or other events that could have caused the sleep apnea condition are essential. Making the Sausage: Heres what you need to know about new VA Claims regulations. Did the VA Benefit of the Doubt Rule just disappear? The third part can be satisfied with a nexus Letter from a qualified medical professional, as noted above. You do not have to be prescribed a CPAP machine to be service-connected for sleep apnea.

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