Sleep Apnea Due To Service?

[Mont36]

This is the situation, I had my physical through meps station in Charlotte when I was going into Navy and in the physical, it stated I complained of being tired. Question is could I try and tie this in with sleep apnea? This is a symptom of sleep apnea. I also have asthma so could I connect this with sleep apnea instead. Any help appreciated.

[Mont36]

Hey Meghp0405 what do you mean by your comment of throwing against wall and see what sticks? I am confused by that comment.

[carlie]

Yes I was referring to prior entry exam. I am now 90%. (60% for Gerd/Hiatal hernia. 30% for Asthma. 20% for Flatfeet. 70% for Major Depression) I wander if I could get asthma second to sleep apnea. I am trying to get knees and back second to Flatfeet but it is hard to get a doctor to say due to. Some are saying back and knee condition related to flatfeet instead of due to or least likely. Thanks for responding. We are all in together on these issues we have with the government.

Having asthma does not lead to SA.

[Veldrina]

Mont, it sounds like you should be a higher rating for your flat feet. However unless you are not employed, we can't give you IU. It can interfere with employment, but until you are no longer working our hands are tied. But you might be able to bump it to 100% just by putting in for increase in flatfeet. As for sleep apnea, Carlie is correct, asthma & sleep apnea are independent of each other...one does not cause the other, so you'd be hard-pressed to make it secondary. Re back/knees & pes planus: If the docs say "due to" or "at least as likely due to/related to/secondary top", any of these are enough to connect it to the feet. That's good enuff language for a rater. And as Berta said, your sleep apnea would have to be related to service. Being tired is not enough, there has to be something in service showing persistent hypersomnolence (i.e. chronic daytime sleepiness). if you didn't have a sleep study done in service, it's a little more difficult. Be advised a new ruling came out that we now need to give a sleep study as part of your C&P exam to service connect sleep apnea, so you'll have that to deal with.

[Mont36]

Veldrina thank you for your insight I appreciate it. I am in the process of getting a sports medicine doctor which treats feet,ankle knee and back to render his opinion as to if it is secondary. He did immediately say that he felt it was secondary due to the many years that my feet have caused everything else to breakdown i.e. ankle, knee. So I went to get the notes from that visit but I didn't see his opinion from our visit. I called once I got the notes and asked his nurse to have him look back over what he said because he didn't include his opinion as we discussed in the office. Finger crossed. Also prior to this I asked my VA podiatrist to fill out a DBQ for my feet and he did right on the spot, marking on the form that no improvement with shoes and inserts which was prescribed by VA over several years.

[john999]

Veldrina

Have you ever seem a case where a vet gets OSA or complex SA secondary to DMII? I have DmII and CAD and I know the OSA is putting me at risk with the CAD. I did not have OSA in service as far as I know. If a NSC condition makes a SC condition worse how does that work out?

[Veldrina]

no, i dont knoe of any etiology from DM that would cause OSA , nor is it a presumptive condtion under Agent orange exposure. If a NSC makes a SC condition worse, the only way u'd get $$ for it is if u were to switch from that to pension (provided u were eligible for pension)