![]() ![]() My father is a Vietnam era veteran and has been diagnosed with both insomnia and sleep apnea. If that is the case then there would be no problem with the separate rating. There is no real basis for a 50 percent rating just for insomnia, but there is a basis for a 50 percent rating for mental illness and when insomnia is not rated as purely a sleep issue it is typically rated as a mental illness. I have a hunch that your "insomnia" rating is actually a mental illness rating based on mental illness criteria rather than sleep issues. It's a rater or DROs job to know this and to insure that it doesn't happen. I suspect that you would be hard pressed to find a doctor, any doctor to include a VA doctor, who would know what you meant if you asked them about pyramiding a VA rating. I suppose that this would make me a qualified professional to address this issue, especially since I was considered to be qualified as an expert witness in Federal Court on VA rating issue. It's a legal question to be decided by a VA decision maker like a rater or DRO.įor the record I was a DRO at VA and also an instructor at the VBA Training Academy where I taught this course to raters. This is not really a medical question to be decided by the doctor. You both, like they did for me.dont let some email from someone you dont even know stop you.good luck. go for it, you never know the QUALIFIED professionals just might see it to grant As such this symptom has already been factored into the Schedule for Rating Disabilities in the assignment of a 30 or 50 percent rating for sleep apnea.ĭont listen to the (wanna be doctors). When someone has already been diagnosed with a condition that causes sleep deprivation (like sleep apnea) it would be very difficult for the doctor to say that there is no known reason for the daytime sleepiness. With secondary insomnia the problem with sleep is simply a symptom of the primary condition and is not assigned a separate rating. Most often this is depression, anxiety, or some physical ailment that produces chronic pain or some other symptom that causes frequent waking or an inability to fall asleep. With secondary insomnia there are one or more factors identified that would easily produce insomnia. Primary insomnia is relatively rare when compared with secondary insomnia which is much more common. Most ratings in which the insomnia is significant are rated at 30 percent analogous to sleep apnea based on the daytime hypersomnolence. In most cases this would be under either sleep apnea or perhaps a mental disorder, depending on how the effects of the insomnia are affecting the person. Since there is no evaluation criteria set out in 38 CFR Part 4 it would have to be given an analogous rating. When primary insomnia exists it is a stand alone disability for which service connection can be granted if the insomnia can be shown to have started in service. In other words the person simply cannot sleep for the required amount of time and nothing can be identified that would cause this situation. For example there is no evidence of depression or anxiety that might be interfering with sleep, nor is there any evidence of a physical disability such as a back condition that is making sleep difficult. Primary insomnia is said to exist when the doctors can find no apparent reason for the insomnia. There are two types of insomnia, primary insomnia and secondary insomnia. Actually in most cases it isn't considered to be a separate condition. Next, pursue a sleep apnea nexus letter.It's two separate conditions based on the same symptoms. We will look through your records to help determine the best strategy for you to claim sleep apnea. Weight gain associated with multiple musculoskeletal injuries (I.e.Sleep apnea can also be claimed secondary to several physiological conditions such as: Alcohol Use Disorder and Other Substance Use Disorders.You can also claim sleep apnea secondary to other mental health conditions such as: The most common secondary connection is sleep apnea secondary to PTSD. Most veterans claim sleep apnea secondary to a condition for which they are already service-connected. In some cases, if you had documented signs and symptoms of sleep apnea in-service, even if you didn't have an in-service sleep study, you can claim sleep apnea as a primary condition. Next you must determine if you will claim sleep apnea as a primary or secondary condition. ![]()
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