Sleep apnea 30%?

[creek chub]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea but it’s not severe enough to prescribe a cpap machine. Assuming I could claim it secondary to ptsd/depression, is 30% rating doable?

[Oceanbound]

Go to the internet card catalog (google) and type in your city and sleep center. Pick a sleep doctor, set up appointment, pay the fee, get the test, and file that IME. 

[creek chub]

6 hours ago, Oceanbound said:

Go to the internet card catalog (google) and type in your city and sleep center. Pick a sleep doctor, set up appointment, pay the fee, get the test, and file that IME. 

I did get a sleep test from a VA referral to a private provider. I meet with the sleep specialist tomorrow to discuss results. Should I ask the private provider to provide a statement that my mild sleep apnea is more likely than not aggravated by ptsd?

[paulstrgn]

It really depends on how the doctor fills out the DBQ and as you stated if you can have it service connected (SC). I had two sleep studies (done about 2 years apart and I do need a CPAP) and also submitted a DBQ and an IMO and both stated it was more likely than not SC. I have Tricare and it paid for both sleep studies and I had to pay $450 for the IMO. SA can be secondary to PTSD or depression, you will just need a IMO from a doctor to state it is secondary to PTSD or depression.

I got this from the internet:

Sleep apnea is rated under 38 CFR § 4.97, Diagnostic Code 6847 – Sleep Apnea Syndromes (Obstructive, Central, Mixed).  Veterans are assigned a 0, 30, 50, or 100 percent rating depending on the severity of their condition.  The rating criteria is as follows:

“100% – chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention, the need for a tracheostomy, or cor pulmonale. Cor pulmonale is the enlargement or failure of the right side of the heart due to lung disease.

50% – if a veteran requires the use of a breathing assistance device, such as a CPAP machine

30% – the veteran is experiencing persistent daytime hypersomnolence (i.e. a condition characterized by chronic daytime sleepiness that does not improve even with sufficient sleep)

0% – if the veteran’s condition is asymptomatic (i.e. condition that is not producing symptoms) but has a documented sleep disorder

[creek chub]

1 hour ago, paulstrgn said:

It really depends on how the doctor fills out the DBQ and as you stated if you can have it service connected (SC). I had two sleep studies (done about 2 years apart and I do need a CPAP) and also submitted a DBQ and an IMO and both stated it was more likely than not SC. I have Tricare and it paid for both sleep studies and I had to pay $450 for the IMO. SA can be secondary to PTSD or depression, you will just need a IMO from a doctor to state it is secondary to PTSD or depression.

I got this from the internet:

Sleep apnea is rated under 38 CFR § 4.97, Diagnostic Code 6847 – Sleep Apnea Syndromes (Obstructive, Central, Mixed).  Veterans are assigned a 0, 30, 50, or 100 percent rating depending on the severity of their condition.  The rating criteria is as follows:

“100% – chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention, the need for a tracheostomy, or cor pulmonale. Cor pulmonale is the enlargement or failure of the right side of the heart due to lung disease.

50% – if a veteran requires the use of a breathing assistance device, such as a CPAP machine

30% – the veteran is experiencing persistent daytime hypersomnolence (i.e. a condition characterized by chronic daytime sleepiness that does not improve even with sufficient sleep)

0% – if the veteran’s condition is asymptomatic (i.e. condition that is not producing symptoms) but has a documented sleep disorder

Thanks for the info.

How did you find an IMO?

[paulstrgn]

2 minutes ago, creek chub said:

How did you find an IMO?

I asked the doctor's who performed my sleep study to write one. The first doctor did it for free (but only the DBQ) and the second one I paid $450 and he wrote the IMO for me.

I am not sure when you had your sleep study but you can go back and ask the doctor to write one.

[creek chub]

1 hour ago, paulstrgn said:

I asked the doctor's who performed my sleep study to write one. The first doctor did it for free (but only the DBQ) and the second one I paid $450 and he wrote the IMO for me.

I am not sure when you had your sleep study but you can go back and ask the doctor to write one.

I had my sleep two weeks and meet my doctor tomorrow. I’m not sure if she’s willing to do a dbq but may a letter would suffice