Sounds easy enough, right? My next stop is going to be BVA, hopefully I dont have to go there without taking another bite at the DRO processes. Winning a VA claim to service connect sleep apnea is hard. Since there is no cure for CFS the treatment focuses on relief of the symptoms. PTSD can cause insulin resistance (fasting Blood sugar results above 100 prove you have insulin resistance) and insulin resistance causes sleep apnea. Check out the Sleep Apnea Field Manual. Need a C&P exam for sleep apnea secondary to PTSD? I did not have a va physical until about 13 years after seperation from service. Whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to the We also connect veterans with independent medical professionals in our referral network for medical examinations, disability evaluations, and credible independent medical opinions and nexus statements (medical nexus letters) for a wide range of disability conditions. Along with the record of the potential cause must also be a proven medical link between sleep apnea and the occurrence. hUmoF+1QNH6,65B.E]>XH?a8D Ht"B)\5H($>f_+:TPT!UBPTVR$Xz.c-sKGkzlYz;j&]&Lra)"6"x\?gY(5vZlbQn]wEutI&q$+}on~[]#mg])jqY_`jh]W7|E}Ag\SV This is a great group of people who really care about your well being. When filing a VAdisability Claim for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome there are specific things the VA has to see before service connection can be considered and disability compensation granted. How to Connect Sleep Apnea to Military Service. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted during the course of sleep. Lesson #4: More VeteransShould be Able toService ConnectSleep Apnea. I learned that to win your Sleep Apnea claim, you are going to have to put your Sleep Apnea Claim together right. This disorder can also lead to more complications like depression, social isolation, lifestyle restrictions, and an increase in absences from work/school. Therefore you should be well prepared before submitting your claim. No current medical diagnosis (within the last 12 months), or improper diagnosis, #3. I have a diagnosis and a CPAPwhy arent they granting my claim?. Readers should not act or rely upon any information contained in this web site without first seeking the advice of an attorney. Learn what youve been missingso you can FINALLY get the disability rating and compensation you deserve! <>/Parent 3 0 R/Type/Page/Contents 8 0 R/Tabs/S/Resources<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/Font<>>>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Rotate 0>> Jessica joined the Hill and Ponton team in the summer of 2017 and was excited to use her skills to help veterans. How to Hire an Attorney For Your VA Claim or Appeal. ,144x{,}T=7#|lk0s @0\0N Z,;QkH|L[, Template for processing Decision or Remand. When filing a VAclaim for CFS, the Department of Veterans Affairs has to see the onset of this fatigue is severe enough to reduce your routine daily activities to less than 50%, your medical history, and several symptoms that indicate CFS. The VA uses two options for rating most sleep apnea claims. Thousands of other Veterans in our Community are here for you. If you were diagnosed with this condition while in the military, you have a straight forward shot for service connection. My emphysema is connected. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a serious chronic illness that is common with the United States general population and especially veterans. Im 50% connected with PTSD and currently have an appeal in for 100% on PTSD. Your final VA Disability Rating for Insomnia depends upon the Top 5 Reasons for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Claim Denials (Plus OSA Service Connection Tips), Steps and Strategies: How to Prove Service Connection for Sleep Apnea, Step #1: Get a NEW Sleep Study (within the past 12 months), Step #2: Obtain a medical diagnosis of sleep apnea from a sleep specialist, Step #3: Get a nexus letter for sleep apnea from a credible independent medical professional, Lack of Medical Evidence is the #1 Reason VA Claims are Denied, Step #4: Consider secondary service connection instead of direct service connection, Secondary Service Connection Requirements. Were here for disabled veterans exploring eligibility for increased VA disability benefits and who wish to learn more about that process. I want you to think about the BEST Path to proving Sleep Apnea is Service Connected. Closely followed by PTSD, Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and TDIU. Broadly, its defined as the occurrence of five or more breathing-related events per hour, measured by polysomnography (sleep study). If youre stuck, frustrated, underrated, and currently rated between 0%-90%, VA Claims Insider Elite is for you! (6.[,P)BLd?8e:}]eS8Sx| XvKdEP,Zbl65k8 x!KSToHjbrC. entitlement to service connection for nerve damage to the bilateral lower extremities, to include as due to Gulf War illness, and, if so, whether the claim should be granted. If that is similar to your situation, how do you show that link (nexus) between what was going on with you during service and the actual diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea you now have? And that means you are going to have to think through your sleep apnea claim. If accepted into our ELITE membership program, youll get free up-front access and permission to use $13,119 worth of proprietary VA claim resources, including access to our network of independent medical professionals for medical examinations, disability evaluations, and credible Medical Nexus Letters, which could help you get a HIGHER VA rating in LESS time. In a study of veterans, PTSD symptom severity increased the risk of screening positive for OSA. In our experience, most VA disability claims are won or lost based on medical evidence. By doing this your claim will have the best chance possible. FromApril 2013 to April 2014, the BVA denied 76% of Veterans Sleep Apnea appeals. I dont know if Im authorize a second run at the DRO or go straight to BVA. Washington, D.C.: 1776 I Street, NW, 9th Floor, Washington, D.C 20006 We cant possibly cover each of those and the ways to service connect all of them in this one article. Houston, TX: 2925 Richmond Ave, 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77098 It only took three months. Thats what Veteran Lee G. did Lees VA claim changed when he read my Sleep Apnea book: Chris gave me the knowledge to file a claim for Sleep Apnea. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Since that time, we have provided compassionate We can helpreach out so we can show you how. Therefore, sleep apnea can be filed secondary to either a musculoskeletal condition with weight gain or a mental health condition with weight gain. I do not response to Individual claim and legal questions, although I do catalog them for post / video ideas. Lesson #2: Sleep Apnea is affectinga LOTof Veterans. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Veteran was granted entitlement to service connection for major depressive disorder in a May 2016 rating decision. She has always had a passion for helping others and found inspiration from those she cared for. Estimate your 2023 VA Rating & Compensation for FREE! Hence, the weight gain. Did the VA Benefit of the Doubt Rule just disappear? 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)! Since 2016, VA Claims Insider has helped thousands of Veterans just like you get the VA rating and compensation they deserve in less time. 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. Cognitive training is important to be able to talk to someone about CFS and its limiting factors on life, and how to cope on a daily basis. * 5- Star Lay and Medical Evidence that show you your VA Sleep Apnea disabilityaffects your dailylife. put your Sleep Apnea Claim together right. endobj Once diagnosed the more difficult step is required, which is proving the service-connection for sleep apnea. Along with a direct Nexus, it is also possible to win a sleep apnea claim by claiming it as a secondary condition. Some people have developed CFS after having a viral infection like Epstein Barr virus, Herpes virus 6, and mouse leukemia virus, but there has been no conclusive evidence. A/8un$zjHNSPU%=8HF Z*v@l(?6Nx/ Its FREE to get started, so click Go Elite Now below to complete our 3-step intake process. Sleep apnea comes in different forms, but the most common type with veterans is Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Proving Service-Connection for Sleep Apnea. Allergies or sensitivities to foods, odors, chemicals, or noise. My sleep apnea is worsened when I lie on my back and I still have loss of breath. The most important thing to keep in mind is that, no matter what the VA may tell you, the law does allow for VA disability for sleep apnea. Most people with CFS seem to have an impaired immune system which is thought to possibly be the cause of having CFS. Contact Us fight to get their sleep apnea service-connected. However, if you use one, it does provide you with a higher rating. Thanks for your concern and the blog. Once you are clear on the type of apnea, you should talk with your doctor further about what he or she thinks is the primary cause for it. Do I Need a CPAP Machine to be Service-Connected? caused or made worse by your active duty military service OR. Veterans are assigned a 0, 30, 50, or 100 percent rating depending on the severity . without his BI-PAP MACHINE,one up from CPAP,which i have. Are you a veteran who suffers from sleep apnea? Do You Owe Your Severance Pay Back to the VA? Hot Dogs for Heroes 4th of July Event This Thursday! I was diagnosed with OSA 10 years after separation. I have also had a stroke. You may eventually get there on your own, but it may be after a series of decisions by the Regional Office and Board of Veterans Appeals. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. We know the pain of feeling stuck, frustrated, and alone, and we want to make this process as easy and painless as possible for you. A couple things you mention are worth exploring: Damage to the nasal or breathing passages, like chronic sinusitis or bronchitis, can cause OSA. In order to help you with your secondary claim, we have put together this Insiders Guide! If so, you may be eligible for VA disability for sleep apnea if you can show a nexus to your military service. NOW ITS YOUR TURN. Of those who suffer from CFS, approximately one out of four will become bedridden or housebound for periods of theirillness. See our article Burn Pit Presumptive Conditions. 2023-03-04T21:20:56-05:00 7 0 obj Winning a VA Sleep Apnea is much harder. uuid:9ecae647-b430-492b-9ebf-3254b1d19b42 %%EOF All Rights Reserved. Anxiety and depression can interfere with sleep patterns. This is described as being foggy by patients. You're not alone. Thats $901.83 a month. I spent nearly a yearresearching Veterans and their Sleep Apnea claims. For all about getting a VA rating for sleep apnea, see our post Your Sleep Apnea VA Rating A Guide to Getting a VA Disability Rating for Sleep Apnea. You do not have to be prescribed a CPAP machine to be service-connected for sleep apnea. Even with that little bit of extra information, almost allVeterans are still being denied service connection for sleep apnea. Medical opinions will be CRUCIAL, as these are not NECESSARY connections. Translation: 3 out of every 4 of youwill see your sleep apnea claims and appeals deniedunless you learn how to prove your Sleep Apnea Claim the right way. He is aformer active duty Air Force officerwith extensive experience leading hundreds of individuals and multi-functional teams in challenging international environments, including a combat tour to Afghanistan in 2011 supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Chills and night sweats as well as low-grade fevers. In April 2013, the RO reopened the sleep apnea claim, but denied service connection, and found no new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the tinnitus claim. If you or a loved one suffers from CFS do not be afraid to report symptoms to your doctor. We offer free resources and expertise to empower all Veterans. The most trusted name in education-based resources for Veterans. People with sleep apnea are four times more likely to have depression than people without a sleeping disorder. Youll need to make the call on direct service connection versus secondary service connection. That said, the key here is making the connection from service to diagnosis. I believe that the VA and BVA do not take Sleep Apnea seriously. Template for processing Decision or Remand . Sleep apnea is a medically complex disorder. In our opinion, the only time a veteran should pursue direct service connection for sleep apnea is if you had a sleep study performed while on active duty, which confirmed the presence of a sleep apnea condition (medically diagnosed) during active-duty service. Weight gain can be tied to several different conditions. Which primary disabilities make the best claims for secondary service connection of sleep apnea? 201 Bankhead Highway, Carrollton GA 30117770-285-1198. A medical opinion will be necessary to show these causative connection, and you will want to first service connect the sinusitis, and then argue that the OSA is secondary or argue that the OSA is secondary to the bronchitis. Weve supported more than 15,000 veterans to win their claims and increase their ratings. Broadly, it's defined as the occurrence of five or more breathing-related "events" per hour, measured by polysomnography (sleep study). If you use a CPAP machine, then this should warrant a 50% rating. Then, watch this video of a former C&P examiner revealing her tips for getting your sleep apnea service-connected! Regardless of whether you are dealing with OSA, its important to pursue all the benefits available to you as a veteran. Long term chronic sleep apnea can cuse the heart to work harder, thus causing it to enlarge. They all treated me as though I was family and helped me with my work comp case in more ways than the average would have.Thank you Jason and Thank you Tina! And then in three months, I got a response back, and it was a favorable response, and that just, that just blew me away. HtT0DRO`" m)R,aep/>An)`?52nZ^ 3x3Qeo3R}8'h-=d2efHCQ VA Claims insider is an education-based coaching/consulting company. Any advice on getting sleep apnea service connected? I absolutely agree I think that Mr. Harris was way out of line, and was not educated about the issue he was commenting on. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I spoke with DRO via phone for 5min confirming she received my NOD and evidence. The VA disability ratings for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 100% all dependent on the severity and other factors of your symptoms. Your VA rating for chronic fatigue syndrome will be higher the worse, or more severe, your symptoms are. 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. VA denied it again (2nd) in late 2016 No treatment in service, VA totally ignoring evidence submitted. Its an entirely different thing to mix those ingredients so that they turn into a cake. Most of the time, a person just deals with it for many years until they eventually go to a doctor and undergo testing. Even as Veterans Claims for Sleep Apnea soar, it is clear that theVA DOES NOT understand the full scope of how sleep apnea occurs, medically or factually. I talked to hundreds of Veterans and read their C-Files to see where they went wrong. Scenario 1: Diagnosis of Sleep Apnea First Occurs a Long Time after Service, with no evidence of sleep-breathing problems in the Military Service, or Military Medical, records. If youve filed your VA disability claim and have been denied or have received a low ratingor youre unsure how to get startedreach out to us! I have sleep apnea diagnosed by the VA sleep study. Brian Reese here, Air Force service-disabled Veteran and Founder @ VA Claims Insider. 67 0 obj <>stream hbbd```b``"A$,^&d4dZ0;LI`2A`6H9!`qF' 0 Its one thing to give you the ingredients for a chocolate cake. 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. Microsoft Word 2010; modified using iText 2.1.7 by 1T3XT New Rule allows Presumptive Service Connection for Veterans particulate matter (burn pit) claims. <>stream Complimentary therapies such as meditation, gentle massage, deep breathing, or relaxation therapies may be beneficial to help reduce symptoms. Has camp Lejeune exposures been linked to sleep apnea? What the doctor is trying to do is check all possible outcomes for the symptoms to make sure a clear diagnosis can be given. Most Veterans are not proving sleep apnea is service connected. What the doctor may do is multiple laboratorytests to rule out some other underlying cause. * WHERE to get the Lay Evidence that will give REAL POWER to your Sleep Apnea Claim. If you have central sleep apnea or complex sleep apnea, the approach will be a little different since the science is different as well. Sometimes claims are appealed and remanded several times, which can cause a claim to drag on for years. No wonder Sleep Apnea is affecting so many Veterans sleep apnea can be the result of other disorders or medical conditions. Perhaps theyll have to spenda night with someone that suffers from obstructive sleep apnea, hear the suffocating snoring, experience the fear that the person will stop breathing altogether, they will continue to not take seriously claims for sleep apnea. Was your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) VA claim denied? In September 1978, she was granted service connection for bilateral chondromalacia, a breakdown of cartilage in the knee joint that causes pain when bones . My expert agreed to write a rebuttal opinion to the VAs expert. Direct service connection for sleep apnea may be granted for veterans who can show that their sleep apnea began in service using service medical records, and by providing a nexus opinion from a qualified medical professional that links sleep apnea to events or exposures in service. Department of Veterans Affairs ; claim denied; hearing aids supplied but disability denied;pre-diabetic; high blood pressure. But if your doctor believes that your Sleep Apnea is somehow related to exposure to TCEs or benzene in the water at Camp Lejeune, then a good medical opinion would probably help you prove a direct service connection claim. When seeking service connection, veterans will generally need to submit the following to VA: A current diagnosis of a condition; An in-service event, illness, or injury; and, yet assertive representation for our clients. If you need a lawyer, fill out a contact form at the law firm of Attig Steel: https://www.attigsteel.com/contact-us/. Listen: you have got to know this: sleep Apnea is a complex medical condition, and presents differently in each and every Veteran. The blockage is believed to occur when the muscles in the back of the throat become overly relaxed.
Itls Course California,
Does Cecilia Abbott Speak Spanish,
Tim Ryan Fox 4 News Net Worth,
Https Portal Mycaresuite Com Patients Greatlakeseyeinst Account Logon,
Articles S