← All secondary claims · Ratings by condition
A secondary claim is a condition caused or worsened by one the VA has already service-connected. The causation fight is already half-won — the VA agreed your ptsd came from service; the question is only whether it caused the sleep apnea. That's a medical question with a recognized answer.
The connection
The link runs through several recognized pathways: PTSD fragments sleep architecture through hyperarousal, common psychiatric medications promote the weight gain that drives obstructive apnea, and peer-reviewed literature documents a markedly higher rate of OSA among veterans with PTSD than without it. This is one of the most frequently granted secondary claims in the system — and one of the most valuable, because a prescribed CPAP currently rates at 50%.
How the VA rates sleep apnea
50% = CPAP prescribed · 30% = persistent daytime hypersomnolence · 100% = chronic respiratory failure / cor pulmonale / tracheostomy. (VA has PROPOSED revising toward treatment effectiveness — never promise 50%.)
Full criteria and evidence guide: VA rating for sleep apnea.
What the claim needs — the three legs
- The anchor: service connection for the ptsd (see how that condition is rated). Not connected yet? File it first — a secondary claim needs something to attach to.
- A current diagnosis of sleep apnea — the VA rates diagnosed conditions, not symptoms.
- The medical link. An opinion stating it is "at least as likely as not" that the ptsd caused or aggravated the sleep apnea. The VA's own C&P examiner supplies this free in most cases; your own doctor can too. A paid independent opinion is the last resort, not the first move.
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