How to Win Your Sleep Apnea VA Claim?
Sleep apnea claims can be tricky to win. Many veterans don’t receive a sleep apnea diagnosis while in service, which makes establishing an in-service connection more difficult—even with lay statements or buddy letters.
On top of that, sleep apnea has numerous possible causes, so proving that your condition is linked to military service rather than just coincidental can be challenging. C&P exams also vary widely, and a single negative exam can significantly hurt your claim.
This guide provides an easy-to-follow strategy to help you build a strong claim and avoid wasting time on a denied application.
Can You Get VA Disability for Sleep Apnea?
Getting VA disability for sleep apnea isn’t easy, but it’s definitely possible. Thousands of veterans are approved every year, often with high ratings, so it’s worth understanding how it works.
Whether you qualify depends on the type of sleep apnea, how severe your symptoms are, and whether it’s connected to your military service.
Types of Sleep Apnea
Most veterans fall into one of three categories:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): The most common type, caused by a physical blockage of the airway, often when throat muscles relax during sleep.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA): Caused by the brain failing to send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
Complex or Mixed Sleep Apnea: A combination of OSA and CSA.
For VA claims, OSA is by far the most commonly approved type. CSA and complex sleep apnea can qualify too, but proving service connection is much more difficult.
How Severity Impacts Your Claim
Even with a diagnosis, the VA doesn’t automatically give you a high rating. Two things matter most:
CPAP requirement: If your doctor prescribes a CPAP machine, that strengthens your claim.
Daytime drowsiness: If your sleep apnea leaves you constantly tired or falling asleep during the day, the VA takes that seriously because it affects your work, safety, and overall quality of life.
Severity affects both approval and your disability percentage. Veterans who need a CPAP, for example, are often rated at 50%. The more your condition impacts your daily life, the stronger your claim.
Connection to Military Service
There are two ways to prove service connection for a VA disability:
Primary Service Connection: The condition began during or was directly caused by military service.
Secondary Service Connection: The condition developed because of another disability that is already service-connected.
Sleep apnea is rarely approved as a primary condition since it usually develops after service. Most veterans pursue a secondary service connection, meaning their sleep apnea is caused or worsened by another service-connected condition.
Common conditions that can lead to secondary sleep apnea include PTSD, Asthma, Depression, and Tinnitus. In the next section, I’ll give you the best strategies for linking these conditions to sleep apnea
How to Link Sleep Apnea to Military Service
The best strategy for connecting sleep apnea to military service is through a secondary condition. To do this, the VA looks for three main things:
Diagnosis: A confirmed sleep apnea diagnosis, usually from a sleep study, and records of CPAP use if prescribed.
Medical link: A doctor must clearly explain how your service-connected condition, such as PTSD, caused or aggravated your sleep apnea.
Timeline: Evidence should show that the condition or its treatment led to the onset or worsening of sleep apnea, not that it existed independently before.
Linking Sleep Apnea to PTSD
PTSD is one of the easiest conditions to link to sleep apnea as a secondary condition but only if you do it right.
One of the best ways to link PTSD to sleep apnea is through weight gain caused by PTSD treatment.
Many veterans gain a lot of weight while managing PTSD and research shows weight gain is one of the biggest risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea. The VA is more likely to approve claims that follow this chain of events.
If you go this route make sure your claim shows the progression clearly. The timeline should look like this:
PTSD Diagnosis: When a doctor officially diagnosed your PTSD.
Treatment: Therapy, medication or other interventions for PTSD.
Weight Gain: Any significant weight gain linked to PTSD or its treatment.
Sleep Apnea Symptoms: Onset of snoring, fatigue, daytime drowsiness or other apnea related issues.
Showing the events in this order helps the VA see a logical, medically supported connection.
A common mistake is admitting you already had sleep apnea before your PTSD diagnosis and that PTSD worsened it. The problem is the VA may just view your sleep apnea as a pre-existing condition and conclude PTSD wasn’t the underlying cause.
Keep your timeline clear and avoid these mistakes and you’ll increase your chances of getting service connection for sleep apnea
Linking Sleep Apnea to Sinusitis/Rhinitis
Chronic respiratory conditions like sinusitis or rhinitis are one of the stronger ways to link sleep apnea. Blocked or inflamed airways directly interfere with breathing during sleep, causing OSA. This connection is much more straightforward than indirect links like PTSD.
The VA already acknowleges that To build a strong claim, you’ll need the following:
ENT evaluations
Sleep studies showing airway obstruction
Medical records establishing that sinusitis or rhinitis came before your sleep apnea.
Citing medical literature linking these conditions to OSA.
Lay or buddy statements are especially useful if your service records don’t fully document your nasal or breathing issues, or if you need to show long-term symptoms.
In addition, be mindful of trying to stack benefits. The VA won’t compensate for the same symptom twice (like shortness of breath). If those symptoms are already rated under sinusitis, they can’t also be rated under sleep apnea — the higher rating will usually apply.
Linking Sleep Apnea to Traumatic Brain Injury
Linking Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) to a service-connected TBI is possible when medical evidence shows that the TBI caused or aggravated the sleep apnea. Sleep apnea often develops after TBI because brain injury can affect the nerves and muscles that control the airway during sleep, leading to obstruction.
This connection is recognized in medical literature and VA guidelines, making a secondary claim feasible if you can establish a clear timeline and medical nexus. To strengthen your claim, focus on the following:
Medical Documentation: Sleep studies confirming OSA, along with VA or private records showing TBI diagnosis. If the TBI evaluation explicitly notes sleep disturbances or cognitive issues following the injury, this helps establish a direct link.
Service and Post-Service Timeline: Records of the TBI incident (e.g., falls, head trauma) and any documented symptoms that appeared after the injury, such as fatigue, snoring, or difficulty breathing during sleep.
Lay or Buddy Statements: Personal statements describing long-term sleep problems or observations from family, coworkers, or fellow service members can fill gaps in the medical record and support the argument that OSA developed or worsened after the TBI.
When all of these elements are present, the VA can recognize OSA as secondary to TBI, meaning it is caused or aggravated by the primary service-connected condition. The goal is to show it is “at least as likely as not” that your TBI contributed to the development of sleep apnea, which is the standard for VA secondary claims.
Essential Evidence for Winning Your Claim
Once you know which route you’re taking, the next step is gathering solid evidence. Most approved claims at the very least have a DBQ that clearly documents the condition and a nexus letter with a medical opinion.
In addition, testimony in the form of buddy/lay statements can make your case even stronger.
Sleep Apnea DBQ
For most sleep apnea claims, a DBQ is just as important as the nexus letter. A DBQ, or Disability Benefits Questionnaire, is a standardized medical form completed by a qualified doctor that documents your diagnosis, the severity of your symptoms, and how the condition affects your daily life.
The VA relies heavily on DBQs because they provide clear, official evidence that your condition exists. They also confirm that your sleep apnea meets the criteria for a disability rating.
Without a thorough DBQ, even a strong nexus letter may not be enough, since the VA needs objective medical documentation to fully evaluate your claim.
Nexus Letter for Sleep Apnea
For most veterans, a nexus letter is almost essential to winning a sleep apnea claim. A nexus letter is a medical opinion written by a qualified doctor, ideally a sleep specialist.
The letter connects your sleep apnea to your military service or to another service-connected condition. Letters from other types of doctors are often denied, so using a sleep specialist is crucial.
This is especially important because sleep apnea is one of those conditions where correlation doesn’t equal causation. Just because you have it after service doesn’t mean the VA will assume it was caused by service.
The nexus letter bridges that gap by showing medical reasoning and evidence that link your case together.
Buddy Letter & Lay Statements
Buddy letters and lay statements are written accounts from people who have firsthand knowledge of your symptoms.
A buddy letter usually comes from a fellow service member who witnessed your sleep issues during your time in the military.
A lay statement, however, can come from a spouse, family member, or friend who observed your struggles outside of service. These statements help fill in gaps when medical records are incomplete or missing, showing the VA that your symptoms existed and affected your daily life.
When submitted as evidence alongside a DBQ and nexus letter, they can strengthen your claim by providing personal, real-world context that supports the medical documentation.
Average VA Rating for Sleep Apnea
Unfortunately, just because you are service-connected for sleep apnea doesn’t automatically mean you’ll receive benefits.
The VA bases ratings primarily on the severity of your symptoms and whether you require treatment, especially with medical devices or if the condition affects daily life.
CPAP Use
CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, is a machine that helps keep your airway open while you sleep. Needing a CPAP shows that your sleep apnea is severe enough to require treatment. Veterans who use a CPAP typically start with a 30 percent rating, which can increase depending on symptom severity.
How to prove it: Bring CPAP prescriptions, download reports from the machine showing nightly use, and medical notes documenting your treatment. If you can’t use the CPAP consistently, explain why and provide medical documentation of alternative treatments.
Hypersomnia (Daytime Drowsiness)
Hypersomnia is excessive daytime sleepiness caused by poor sleep at night. It can affect your work, driving, and overall quality of life. Veterans with significant daytime sleepiness often receive ratings around 50 percent, depending on how much it impacts daily life.
How to prove it: Keep a symptom journal tracking daytime drowsiness and episodes of falling asleep. Collect witness statements from family, roommates, or coworkers who can attest to your struggles. Medical documentation from a sleep specialist or primary care doctor confirming the severity of your symptoms also strengthens your claim.
Chronic Respiratory Failure
In rare cases, sleep apnea can contribute to chronic respiratory failure or require supplemental oxygen at night. These extreme cases can qualify for the maximum 100 percent VA rating. Most veterans do not reach this level, but it’s possible if the condition is severe and documented.
How to prove it: Provide pulmonary function tests, overnight oximetry, or sleep studies showing oxygen desaturation. Document any prescriptions for supplemental oxygen and explain the long-term impact of severe apnea on daily functioning and health.
Why the VA Denies Sleep Apnea Claims
Even when you have a legitimate case, the VA can deny a sleep apnea claim. This usually happens because of common mistakes or gaps in evidence, rather than the condition itself. Understanding why claims are denied can help you avoid the same pitfalls and increase your chances of approval.
Filing the Claim in the Wrong Format
Submitting your claim incorrectly is a common reason for denial. Using the wrong forms, not specifying whether it’s a primary or secondary claim, or failing to include all required documentation can slow down the process or lead to outright denial.
Make sure your claim clearly states the connection to service or a service-connected condition and follows VA filing guidelines.
Missing or Conflicting Evidence
Claims are often denied when critical evidence is missing or conflicting. This can include incomplete DBQs, absent nexus letters, or a C&P exam that contradicts other documentation.
If this happens, a Higher Level Review (HLR) can help because it reevaluates your claim more carefully.
To prevent contradictions in the first place, prepare for your C&P exam and ensure your symptoms, DBQ, and nexus letter all align.
Lack of a Service Connection
Another common reason for denial is that the VA does not see a link between your sleep apnea and your military service or a service-connected condition.
Without a documented connection, either direct or secondary, the VA cannot approve the claim. This is why strong medical evidence, service records, and buddy or lay statements are so important—they help establish the connection the VA needs to see.
Final Thoughts on Winning Sleep Apnea Claim
In the end, winning a sleep apnea claim comes down to building a clear, well-supported connection between your condition and your service or another service-connected disability.
Make sure your timeline is easy to follow, your medical evidence is thorough, and your lay statements back up your story with credible, firsthand details about how your symptoms developed and affect your daily life.
The stronger and more consistent your evidence is, the harder it is for the VA to deny your claim.
Take the time to organize everything clearly and don’t be afraid to seek help if you need it — doing so can make the difference between a denied claim and the benefits you’ve earned.
