Veterans with Sleep Apnea: Why You Should File for Disability Benefits NOW

Big changes may be coming in the VA disability rating benefits for sleep apnea, and those changes could significantly reduce the compensation available for some veterans. But, those changes will only impact veterans who haven’t yet been rated when the change takes place. That means if you’re a veteran with service-connected sleep apnea, you’ll want to act immediately to secure your VA disability rating.

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What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a medical condition that causes a person to stop breathing while sleeping. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. As the name suggests, this type of sleep apnea involves the airway being obstructed during sleep. Another type–central sleep apnea–occurs when the muscles that control breathing don’t get the right signals from the brain.

Both types can cause symptoms such as fatigue, high blood pressure, morning headaches and more.

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Current VA Disability Ratings for Sleep Apnea and Proposed Changes

Current VA Disability Ratings for Sleep Apnea

A 0% disability rating is assigned to a veteran who has been diagnosed with sleep apnea but is asymptomatic
A 30% disability rating is assigned to a veteran who suffers from persistent daytime hypersomnolence due to sleep apnea.
A 50% disability rating is assigned when the veteran requires the use of a CPAP machine or similar device due to sleep apnea.
A 100% disability rating is assigned when the veteran suffers from chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention or cor pulmonale or requires tracheostomy.

Proposed New VA Disability Ratings for Sleep Apnea

A 0% disability rating would be assigned to a veteran who has been diagnosed with sleep apnea but is asymptomatic – this standard would remain unchanged.
A 10% disability rating would be assigned when treatment for sleep apnea yielded “incomplete relief” – this would be a new rating option for sleep apnea.
A 50% disability rating would be assigned only when treatment was ineffective or the veteran could not use the prescribed treatment due to comorbidities – this rating level would be significantly altered.
A 100% disability rating would be assigned only if the veteran fulfilled the criteria for a 50% disability rating AND suffers end-organ damage – this rating level would be significantly altered.

What Does This Mean for Veterans with Sleep Apnea?

If the new proposed changes take place, many veterans who would currently qualify for a 30% or 50% VA disability rating will likely be pushed down to a 10% rating, meaning significantly lower monthly benefits. In the case of those who would currently qualify at the 50% level, that would also mean a reduction in medical benefits and other VA benefits.

If you believe you have service-connected sleep apnea, the time to act is as soon as possible. To learn more about how an experienced advocate at Disabled Vets can help, call 888-373-4722 right now, or fill out our contact form here.

Call 1-888-373-4722 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form