Is sleep apnea service connected for Gulf War veterans?
Sleep apnea is not considered a presumptive condition for veterans exposed to Agent Orange or ionized radiation, or contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. However, veterans of the Persian Gulf War may be entitled to presumptive service connection for their sleep apnea.
What are the presumptive conditions of the Gulf War syndrome?
And you have one of these presumptive diseases:
Functional gastrointestinal disorders. Chronic fatigue syndrome. Fibromyalgia. Other undiagnosed illnesses, including but not limited to cardiovascular disease, muscle and joint pain, and headaches.
How do you prove sleep apnea is service connected?
In order to establish direct service connection for sleep apnea, a claimant must show that they have a current, diagnosis of sleep apnea, an in-service event or illness/injury, and a medical nexus or link that shows the veteran’s sleep apnea is related to their in-service event, injury/illness.
What percentage does the VA give for sleep apnea?
How Does VA Rate Sleep Apnea Now? Right now, service-connected sleep apnea is assigned a 50 percent rating if you are prescribed a CPAP machine. If you have a CPAP and you also have chronic respiratory failure or similar conditions, you can get a 100 percent rating.
Is it hard to get VA disability for sleep apnea?
A sleep apnea diagnosis alone will not qualify for VA benefits unless you can prove that it was connected in some way to your service. This almost always requires a strong medical opinion. Providing copies of research alone will not give VA decision-makers what they need.
Is sleep apnea a permanent VA disability?
Can the VA Take Away My Sleep Apnea Rating? Since the condition is not considered a permanent VA disability, you can have your rating taken away by the VA. If the condition resolves over time, and you are reevaluated to not have sleep apnea any more, you will no longer be able to claim that rating for compensation.
Can the VA deny a presumptive condition?
Any disabilities must have a clear in-service connection, or else the VA will deny the claim. However, there is an exception: the VA’s presumptive conditions list. If you suffer from a condition on this list, you don’t have to prove an in-service link, and it doesn’t have to appear on your service medical records.
Is insomnia a Gulf War presumptive?
A prominent condition affecting Gulf War Veterans is a cluster of medically unexplained chronic symptoms that can include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, and memory problems.
What conditions are secondary to sleep apnea?
Some of the following conditions can be secondary to sleep apnea, while others may be the primary condition to which sleep apnea is secondary.
- Allergic Rhinitis.
- ALS.
- Atrial Fibrillation.
- Back Pain.
- Brain Infection.
- Spinal Cord injury.
- Cervical nerve conditions.
- Toxic Exposure.
Why do so many veterans have sleep apnea?
For U.S. veterans, sleep apnea can be a real problem—one that may be associated with long-term exposure to chemicals and dust during military service. Many veterans qualify for benefits on the basis of a secondary service-connection to a condition such as exposure to Agent Orange.
What is the highest VA rating for sleep apnea?
Disability ratings for sleep apnea are assigned at 0, 30, 50, or 100 percent. If sleep apnea causes disordered breathing but no other symptoms, the veteran will be assigned a 0 percent rating, meaning the veteran will not receive any monthly payment amount for sleep apnea.
Does the VA reevaluate sleep apnea?
Re-Examinations for Sleep Apnea
In some cases, VA will schedule veterans for a re-examination of their sleep apnea to determine if the condition has improved. If it has, VA may be able to propose a rating reduction. However, there are certain rules VA must follow when proposing to reduce a veteran’s rating.
Do I need a nexus letter for presumptive conditions?
Establishing Presumptive Service Connection
If a current disease or condition is considered presumptive service-connected, there is no need to establish a nexus or link between that disease or condition and active duty service. It is automatically considered to be caused by service.
What are presumptive diseases recognized by the VA?
The following conditions are considered presumptive service connected for exposed veterans:
- AL amyloidosis.
- B-cell leukemia.
- Bladder cancer.
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
- Multiple myeloma.
- Type 2 diabetes.
- Hodgkin’s disease.
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Can I claim insomnia secondary to sleep apnea?
VA offers service-connected compensation for multiple sleep disturbances, including sleep apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy. Importantly, service connection for sleep disorders can be awarded on a direct, secondary, or presumptive basis.
Does sleep apnea qualify for VA disability?
An individual with sleep apnea may be eligible for VA benefits. Under the VA Ratings Schedule, a veteran with sleep apnea may be entitled to 0%, 30%, 50% or 100% benefits for sleep apnea, as follows: 0% Sleep Apnea Rating: asymptomatic, but with documented sleep disorder breathing.
Does VA reevaluate sleep apnea?
Why would a VA claim be denied sleep apnea?
The Department denies these claims because they do not have sufficient evidence to conclusively say that a Veteran is suffering from sleep apnea without a diagnosis, even if the Veteran exhibits the symptoms of the disorder.
Can the VA deny a presumptive claim?
Do I need a nexus letter for sleep apnea?
To make your case with the VA, you’ll need what’s known as a “nexus” letter from a doctor. A nexus letter is a letter simply states that your sleep apnea is as likely as not to have been caused by your service-connected PTSD, or another service-connected condition.
What percentage does the VA give for insomnia?
38 C.F.R. § 4.130. The Veteran’s service-connected insomnia is currently rated noncompensable prior to July 9, 2012 and as 10 percent disabling from July 9, 2012.
What is the highest VA disability rating for sleep apnea?
How long does a presumptive VA claim take?
The VA estimates that it takes them 94 days to review a VA disability application. However, many cases take much longer than that. Here are some factors that can shorten or extend the time it takes to reach a decision: Type of claim filed.
How hard is it to get VA disability for sleep apnea?
Is insomnia secondary to sleep apnea?
While insomnia and sleep apnea are medically two separate sleep disorders, there is a high percentage of cases in which the two occur simultaneously.