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Sleep Apnea Claim

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Kazdrummer

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Hi all,

I have a question regarding my eligibility (and chances at success) for a VA disability rating for OSA treated with cpap. My story is pretty simple. About 9 months after arriving at my first duty station my wife tells me I'm choking in my sleep. I was also fatigued which I just attributed to my crapy job. Shortly later I was diagnosed with OSA and prescribed cpap. I had no diagnosis prior to service of OSA. Fast forward 3 years to today and I am planning to separate in 7 months. I continue to use cpap which helps control my symptoms of daytime sleepiness and cognitive deficits. I was completely oblivious to the fact that the VA awards any disability for OSA treated with cpap till a coworker recently informed me I "hit the jackpot" with my diagnosis. Is this for real? Any pointers on the process would be appreciated. Thanks

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before you get out locate a transitional veterans service officer. The DAV has these at most military installations. Have your medical records reviewed and compile a list of disabilities that you can claim.

Many times when a military member has a sleep study, the results almost never makes it to the service members medical jacket. So provide the TVSO a copy of your sleep study.

When you get out take your sleep study results, a copy of the va forms that you submitted and go to the eligibility office. They will register you in the VA and assign you a doctor. Get a consult to the VA sleep lab as soon as possible. Your machine and all accessories will be provided to you at no charge.

If you stay with tri-care, you will pay for the additional masks, hoses, filters and tubing.

I just picked up a new machine about two weeks ago, it's so quite, my wife is jabbing me in the side and telling me to put my mask on. It's so quite!

Good luck and thank you for your service!

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Agreed... Jackpot is no accurate description. Try telling my wife the sexy darth vader mask i wear at night and the constant hum of the cpap machine is a jackpot to her. Appearantly some people think it is...or so I've been told.

Well after seven and one half years of marriage my sleep apnea was diagnosed and treated. My wife loves my sexy Darth Vader Mask! When we were younger we used to camp at state parks a lot, she does miss meeting new people at 3 AM by the bathrooms that were wondering if there was an angry/hungry bear in the campsite. She whould chuckle tell them to assure thier kids it was safe - no bear just my husband! She would generally come back to the site, tell me to get up and read for an hour or two so that some people can get some sleep!

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Have to agree...the need for more and more durable medical equipment, including what we call the "Vader ventilator" in our house, isn't a good thing. However, we do appreciate that it gives me 50%, so at least that's something. My OSA also appeared in the service.

We use TRICARE Standard with a supplement and have found the outside medical establishment to be very good at taking care of us. You do get what you pay for in terms of medical. Can't comment on how well the VAMC would have done with the CPAP, but the civilian sector did very well to get a very quiet and comfortable machine for me more recently that replaced the one issued on active duty that was more like a vacuum cleaner with the hose hooked up to the exhaust vent.

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