Navigating The Sleep Apnea VA Rating System: Step By Step

Va Disability For Sleep Apnea:

va disability for sleep apnea

We’re talking about potential ratings of 30%, where consistent CPAP use enters the scene, or even higher if daytime drowsiness has you nodding off mid-conversation. Your nexus letter should refer to relevant medical records, test results, and sleep study reports. Be sure to include dates, locations, and any other relevant information that strengthens the link between your condition and service.

va disability for sleep apnea

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Appealing a benefits denial is complex and can seem impossible if you are handling it alone. The veterans advocates at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD can handle it for you. We have decades of experience successfully appealing thousands of cases and can help with yours too. That is not so with my current rep. Alexa Holder has made sure to keep me informed of what Mr. Woods is doing. Those two conditions have different rating codes, so while technically possible, your VA doctor will probably only give you a rating for one. Long-term sleep deprivation can cause you to have trouble keeping up at your job and impact how you treat your loved ones.

The U.S. Armed Forces utilize VA disability ratings to determine the severity of sleep apnea and these types of claims are notoriously hard to receive approval. Once you are assigned a VA disability rating for sleep apnea, you will receive monthly compensation from VA based on that rating. Veterans who have already been granted VA disability for sleep apnea based on their service connection but did not undergo a sleep study will likely be required to undergo one to maintain their benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requires that a sleep study be conducted before confirming a sleep apnea diagnosis. Even if a medical professional has previously diagnosed a veteran with sleep apnea, VA will not consider this sufficient evidence without a sleep study. If you already have a sleep apnea diagnosis, you can apply for a VA disability rating for sleep apnea and receive compensation for your military-connected disability.

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Individual unemployability benefits pay the same as a 100% VA disability rating, but veterans do not have to obtain a 100% rating to be eligible. In one study, sleep disorders were found to be 5 to 10 times more likely in patients who abused alcohol and/or narcotics than in those who didn’t. The exact cause of the relationship between military service and sleep apnea is unknown. However, some researchers think the stressors veterans experience during military service are a factor in its development.

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The VA designates 4 types of ratings for sleep apnea based on the severity of the condition. The two most common types of sleep apnea generally affect the muscles in your throat that control breathing. It is difficult to diagnosis the correct type of sleep apnea without over here speaking to a medical professional since many of the symptoms overlap. The military utilizes VA disability ratings to determine the severity of the Obstructive, Central, or Mixed Sleep Apnea. Did anyone get denied by the VA for their Sleep Apnea disability claim?

Veterans with severe sleep disorders may not meet the VA’s criteria for a 100% rating but are unable to work because of their condition. Under those circumstances, they might qualify for the same monthly compensation as a 100% rating’a benefit called total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU). Examples of service-connected conditions that may lead to sleep apnea include chronic rhinitis, asthma, a deviated septum, or diabetes mellitus type 2. Current research also suggests that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can aggravate sleep apnea. If you are service connected for PTSD and later develop sleep apnea, you may be able to establish secondary service connection.

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If severe sleep apnea has you pinned down and unable to work, you could qualify for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, or TDIU. This benefit isn’t about just getting by’it’s designed to provide financial stability at the 100% disability rate when your service-connected condition keeps you from maintaining gainful employment. The first step to nailing down your sleep apnea claim is like hitting the bullseye in darts; you need precision. Think of it as the foundation of your house’without it, everything else crumbles. So, if you’re seeking VA disability for sleep apnea, make sure you’ve got solid proof from a sleep study. Veterans should know their symptoms; they are critical players in this game.

And let’s talk daytime drowsiness’it doesn’t mean you’re bored by midday paperwork. Excessive tiredness during daylight hours suggests that your nighttime battles leave you drained. A doctor likely will require you to participate in a sleep study if they think you have sleep apnea. If asked to do such a study, you’ll want to follow these sleep study tips. If there’s any evidence suggesting your sleep apnea is unrelated to your service, don’t ignore it.

Many veterans with a VA sleep apnea rating may qualify for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) benefits. Many veterans with service-connected sleep apnea have other health issues that are related to their sleep apnea or their time in the service. In fact, veterans receiving VA disability compensation have an average of more than 6 service-connected look at this conditions. When you consider the combined effects of more than one condition, many veterans are considered unemployable by the VA’s standards. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension are all considered some of the strongest risk factors for developing sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can make people tired, causing them to get less exercise, which can lead to obesity.

Donnel Beckles is a top Veterans Advocate and a member of the National Organization for Veterans Advocates. Donnel is accredited to practice VA law by the Department of Veterans Affairs. He has put his wealth of knowledge and expertise in VA disability law to work for thousands of disabled veterans and their survivors. The VA sleep apnea effective date will depend on when you filed your claim and when the condition was first diagnosed. CPAP machine refers to a ventilation method known as positive airway pressure (PAP) that involves the application of continuous pressure greater than the surrounding air pressure to an individual’s upper airway.

The VA rates sleep apnea at a 100% rating when chronic respiratory failure is evident through carbon dioxide retention. This article has helpful information about new VA regulations regarding Sleep Apnea as a disability, and also includes a section with information about how PTSD can impact Sleep Apnea. The article also covers how the Social Security Administration views Sleep Apnea disability claims. For mild cases, doctors may suggest lifestyle changes such as losing weight or quitting smoking, if applicable. In more serious cases, doctors may prescribe the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Maximizing your VA rating involved a personalized and strategic approach to connecting secondary conditions to your primary diagnosis of OSA based on your personal medical history.

Veterans suffering from sleep apnea are only eligible for VA disability compensation if their sleep apnea is service connected. A service-connected condition is one that resulted from an in-service illness, injury, or event. As such, veterans who are service-connected for PTSD are eligible for secondary service connection for their sleep apnea.

Depending on the home test results, a sleep specialist may advise that you follow up with a more formal sleep study as part of your VA claim. Making sure that applications are completed correctly and that the right supporting evidence is included can be complicated. That’s especially true when there is no presumptive service connection and the burden is on the veteran to establish a service connection. Yes, the VA has the authority to lower your sleep apnea VA rating if it determines that your condition has improved or if there’s evidence that contradicts your original claim. Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. The sleeper may not even be aware of what is happening, even if they stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times.

Coming from a lineage of WWII and Vietnam veterans, he has litigated some 1,000 appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, recovering see post millions of dollars on behalf of disabled veterans. Attorney Gang is frequently in the news with commentary on issues affecting veterans.

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