Sleep Apnea

[ArNG11]

The odds of getting the condition service connected are not very high for me, but I don't really give a Mickey Mouse Poop out that really.  I'll appeal.  But frankly as well as the machine works, I have gotten tired of it in just a short 3 years. Guess I am not as composed a I try to be but heh whatever works.

[Chief276]

After OSA was established I tried CPAP,  but it didn't work for me. I took it back and asked for another option. The doc at the sleep clinic recommended the night guard type device, but my VA wasn't set up to provide it. I was sent to a civilian dentist within 5 miles of my house. They made a mold and after 3 weeks I had the device. I thought it was gonna be the same old thing I'd tried before, but this one is heavy duty. It's thick material, and it has metal brace type supports. I don't see how I can chew through it like the others. So far so good, I'm sleeping better. I've been back twice for follow up appointments to make sure it fits right. The bill was $3,300 but my insurance & VA paid it all.

That being said, does the fact that the VA paid for it make my sleep apnea SC?

[ArNG11]

No it does not. You must get an opinion from a doctor who has related your disease to in-service symptoms. He must see your military medical records and state that he has. He or she must use medical rationale to relate the two together. It's a hard one to get service connected but not impossible just hard. Even with good evidence, it's hard.