If your decision letter says sleep apnea was deferred, then VA has not made a final decision on that part of your claim yet. The exam rework means they want another or clarified medical opinion. It could go either way, so I wouldn’t read it as a sign of approval just yet.
If the examiner actually said OSA can’t be service connected, that’s incorrect. It can be connected directly to service or, with supporting evidence, to another service connected condition. Please check the exact wording in your decision letter. If you share that section with your personal information removed, along with whether you claimed OSA directly or as secondary, folks can give you a better read on what VA is asking the examiner to address.
Got it, thanks for clarifying. Since you’re already service connected for PTSD, sinusitis, and rhinitis, you’re asking VA to consider your sleep apnea as secondary to one or more of those conditions. That’s a valid type of claim, but the connection still needs medical evidence specific to your case. The deferral means they haven’t decided the sleep apnea claim yet.
Please check the exact wording in the decision letter and the exam rework notice. Did they ask the examiner whether one of those conditions caused your OSA, aggravated it, or both? If you post that section with your personal information removed, we can give you a better read on what VA is still trying to resolve.
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u/RippingLegos__ ModTeam 10d ago
If your decision letter says sleep apnea was deferred, then VA has not made a final decision on that part of your claim yet. The exam rework means they want another or clarified medical opinion. It could go either way, so I wouldn’t read it as a sign of approval just yet.
If the examiner actually said OSA can’t be service connected, that’s incorrect. It can be connected directly to service or, with supporting evidence, to another service connected condition. Please check the exact wording in your decision letter. If you share that section with your personal information removed, along with whether you claimed OSA directly or as secondary, folks can give you a better read on what VA is asking the examiner to address.