redabogado wrote:

Since there is no info here, is that to say no one has posted here? I am just an Army puke with a recent diadnosis who has some questions...like am I going to be medically discharged? Do I now qualify for a medical retirement, and if so, what %? Anyone tackle this subject before?

Sorry about being a puke.

I'm in the Army, went through the med board, and am sitting in Iraq.

If in the unlikely chance you go through the med board and get out, you're not getting retirement. You'll get 2xBasePayxYearsService as a severance package.

redabogado wrote:

Since there is no info here, is that to say no one has posted here?

I think, not sure, that folks are supposed to post here since it was recently made the permanent "sticky" thread. However, there are several other older threads here by members of the military which may be valuable to you for reading/finding contacts:

"Sleep Apnea in the Military"
http://www.apneasupport.org/about1583.html

Sleep Apnea and Service Connected  Disability
http://www.apneasupport.org/viewtopic.php?p=66941&highlight=military#66941

Sleep Apnea and Military Disability
http://www.apneasupport.org/about4887.html

Good luck to you.

Here is a link to a post in another forum (www.pebforum.com) with some information: http://www.pebforum.com/showthread.php?t=32 . You have to register and login.

Just wanted to share some interesting statistics found on the Air Force Medical Service website.  For FY06 274 of 288 (95%) apnea cases refered to the IPEB resulted in a return to duty (RTD) designation.  This does not include all the cases marked by MEBs as RTD meaning the overall RTD percentage should be much higher.

Source of data is slide 25 in the briefing at: kx.afms.mil/kxweb/dotmil/file/web/ctb_079267.pps

I haven't seen it referenced in this fourm but has anyone here been affected by DODI 1332.39 page 40.


E2.A1.2.21.  6847.   Sleep Apnea Syndromes.    The VASRD lists four
percentage rating options:   0%, 30%, 50%, and 100% under this code, corresponding
to assessed levels of disability relative to civilian earning capacity due to Sleep
Apnea.   The following interpretation will apply:
Total industrial impairment 100%
Considerable industrial impairment   50%
Definite industrial impairment   30%
Mild industrial impairment     0%

What is industrial impairment in DOD terms?

Just wanting to tell my experience with OSA.  I am currently a SSG in the Army.  During my last deployment to Iraq (Baghdad) we were living in trailers.  I had the first room to myself.  A few months into the deployment, the two guys next door started complaining that they could not sleep due to my loud snoring.  A couple of months later, the guys on the other side of them (two rooms over) started also complaining about me either preventing them from sleeping or waking them up with my snoring.  My snoring would get so bad that after we returned and went to the field, I would move off by myself and sleep in a vehicle or I would be keeping everyone else awake.  After the deployment, my wife too started complaining about my snoring.  It really caused a strain, as I would wake up in the morning and she would be in the guest room or sleeping on the sofa.  I was constantly tired, falling asleep at work, downing coffee trying to stay awake, and just felt lethargic no matter how long I tried sleeping.

While on sick call for an ankle injury, my PA and I were exchanging our war stories and I had mentioned to him about my neighbors complaining about my snoring.  He asked a few questions and the next thing I knew I was talking to a sleep specialist who scheduled a sleep study.  I was given a temporary profile which included being prevented from handling a loaded weapon or driving any military vehicle.  Turns out I was diagnosed with OSA with oxygen levels falling well below 80% and over 15 episodes of stopping breathing per hour.  They prescribed a CPAP and handed me a memo stating that I was being Med Boarded.

I was reassigned to the Med Hold Company and my counselor told me to start making plans on getting out of the military.  I had no idea that this was something that I would be boarded for.  My commander had me clear CIF and pre-clear the post.  My wife and I started looking for work back home and she was offered a job.  Then it came back that I was fit for duty, given a 311111 profile with a Y designator and re-issued my gear and sent to Iraq again.  My counselor gave me a copy of AR 40-501(5-14)(e)(6) which stated that “the soldier should not be deployed if the absence of CPAP would hinder the soldier from performing military duty.” But as others have also stated here, the commanders said the Docs are nuts and you are deploying anyway.  I was in no way trying to get out of the deployment, but it concerns me that commanders are overriding the Docs.

Since I have been given the night shift I have been sleeping during the day when it is the hottest and the air conditioners are running the most, knocking out the power on a regular basis.  Several times I have lost power, waking up gasping for air.  I brought this up to the docs only to be told, “Well you eventually wake up don’t you?”

I’m interested to see how this plays out when I get out this next spring and I ask for disability as my OSA manifested during my first deployment.

There is a new DA POlicy memo on Sleep Apnea and deployments its dated 11 Sep 07.  You can see a copy of the new guidance under the Sleep Apnea in the military forum

Hi,

I returned from Iraq in Feb 2004...serving with an Army National Guard Unit.  I have been in for over 20 years (3 active, the rest National Guard).  I had noticed that I'd become more tired while overseas, but attributed it to stress and just drank more coffee, smoked or chewed more to stay awake.  Once home, I noticed that I was constantly tired and would nap frequently....as well as drink 2-3 pots of coffee a day.  I would also forget things frequently.  I just tagged it as 1) i'm getting older (I'm 38 now), and 2)  With all the stuff I've had put in my system from the military (vaccinations)....it's hard telling what my problem is.  See, I'd never heard of Sleep Apnea....never knew it existed.  So, being a good troop, I just did what I had to do to stay awake and drove on.  One year and a half after returning, my 14 year marriage fell apart.  It happens I guess.  I just figured it was my luck.  While my children were staying with me for the weekend, my 13 year old son woke me up and said that I would stop breathing....then suddenly "snort" really loudly and start breathing again.  It made him extremely upset, because he thought that I was dying, and he asked if I would get checked out by a physician.  After talking with a friend of mine who has sleep apnea, he recommended that I have a sleep study done.  I'm 6'1" @ 210-215.....athletic build.  My friend is....or was 5'11"@ 405- he had bariatric surgery and is 180 less now.  I thought, "There is no WAY I have sleep apnea".  On 4/30/2007, I had a sleep study completed.  I have sleep apnea.  "During the sleep study, you stopped breathing many times. You had 26 apneas with an average duration of 34.3 seconds and 53 hypopneas with an average duration of 45.6 seconds. On average, you stopped breathing 13.9 times
per hour of actual sleep time."  I started out with a CPAP...and simply couldn't do it.  Woke up many times with it laying across the room.  I've switched to a BIPAP now....and it's much better.  I'm trying to condition myself to wear this and I'm having success.  A friend of mine, in the military, told me that I should file a claim with the VA.   So I have.

I wrote all that, to ask this.  How could ANYONE prove that sleep apnea is related to Military Service??  All the above is true.  The symptoms came on, but I had no idea what sleep apnea was...or that it existed.  Every symptom I had I could explain away.  Marriage- We grew apart or we changed, Waking up with headaches- I have allergies, so that's normal, forgetting things- maybe I'm losing my mind earlier than I thought I would :)  and finally being tired all the time- I thought I might be depressed a little and not happy with life/job or just liked taking naps.  As a result, I never mentioned this during outprocessing.  Had it not been for my son, I never would have had this checked out.  My symptoms started overseas...and progressively worsened.  I don't know WHAT I was subjected to overseas.  By profession, I'm an Occupational Safety & Health Specialist.  I know that there are many many things I may have been subjected to over there and never realized it.  Heck, the VA probably doesn't know either.  I feel I am entitled to having my claim approved, but I don't believe the VA will see it that way.  Am I just done for?  Should I just be happy that I know now?  How can the VA approve some....and deny others- pertaining to sleep apnea???  Is the difference depending on what you "convince" your doctor to say??  I don't like that.  The N.G. has talked about MEB'n me.  I'm an officer with over 20 years in....so they could just tell me..."Retire"...and not even say why.  Just that they "didn't want to retain me".  How do I tie the 2 together?  I really believe that I have a legitimate claim.

Guest 4986 wrote:

Hi,


I wrote all that, to ask this.  How could ANYONE prove that sleep apnea is related to Military Service??  All the above is true.  The symptoms came on, but I had no idea what sleep apnea was...or that it existed.  Every symptom I had I could explain away.  Marriage- We grew apart or we changed, Waking up with headaches- I have allergies, so that's normal, forgetting things- maybe I'm losing my mind earlier than I thought I would :)  and finally being tired all the time- I thought I might be depressed a little and not happy with life/job or just liked taking naps.  As a result, I never mentioned this during outprocessing.  Had it not been for my son, I never would have had this checked out.  My symptoms started overseas...and progressively worsened.  I don't know WHAT I was subjected to overseas.  By profession, I'm an Occupational Safety & Health Specialist.  I know that there are many many things I may have been subjected to over there and never realized it.  Heck, the VA probably doesn't know either.  I feel I am entitled to having my claim approved, but I don't believe the VA will see it that way.  Am I just done for?  Should I just be happy that I know now?  How can the VA approve some....and deny others- pertaining to sleep apnea???  Is the difference depending on what you "convince" your doctor to say??  I don't like that.  The N.G. has talked about MEB'n me.  I'm an officer with over 20 years in....so they could just tell me..."Retire"...and not even say why.  Just that they "didn't want to retain me".  How do I tie the 2 together?  I really believe that I have a legitimate claim.

From what I've read on here, just make sure that everything is documented in your medical file?  I'm not too familiar with the Guard, but wouldn't you have to wait until you are retired to file a claim with the VA?  You don't have to be medically retired or discharged to receive benefits from the VA.  Hubby just had the UPPP with tonsilectomy done due to his apnea (he's a Marine) and I told him to make sure all that paperwork is in his medical file since he had a civillian dr. do it.

Guest 4986 wrote:

 How could ANYONE prove that sleep apnea is related to Military Service??  All the above is true.  The symptoms came on, but I had no idea what sleep apnea was...or that it existed.  Every symptom I had I could explain away. ...
How do I tie the 2 together?  I really believe that I have a legitimate claim.

Guest 4986,

There are several threads here by members of the military. I am a civilian, so I am not sure if this applies to you or not, but it might help to read some of the posts in some of these threads:
  
Sleep Apnea and Service Connected  Disability
http://www.apneasupport.org/viewtopic.php?p=66941&highlight=military#66941

"Sleep Apnea in the Military" (mostly posts from active duty people)
http://www.apneasupport.org/about1583.html

Good luck to you.

I have been out for a while and I will get caught up soon.  If anyone would like me to post a link or info in one of the specific areas please PM me and I will make it happen.  

Frodo


_________________
...zzz...zzz...zzz... ___...gasp...snort...cough...zzz...zzz...___....gasp...snort...cough...
Successful Septoplasty and Turbinate Reduction surgery?saline irrigation...continuing cpap trial for pressure settings...

My husband was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea while on active duty AF in 1999. He stopped breathing 72 times an hour during his first sleep study. We opted for surgery first thing and he has used a CPAP and now BIPAP ever since. He has gone through all types of masks, chin straps, mouth pieces, etc. and still does not get good sleep. He is currently suffering from severe depression. Although he uses his BIPAP religiously, he still wakes several times a night and has to nap several times a day. He no longer has a uvula but he has started snoring again. He struggles for breath while sleeping, has night sweats, wakes with acid reflux, can't concentrate, is irritable, and depressed. It is as though he didn't have his BIPAP. He has a 50% disability rating from the VA and is currently trying to get his disability amended to include the depression, which we feel is directly related to his sleep problems. Unfortunately, no doctor has been able to tell us why he is not responding to the BIPAP nor verify that his depression is related to his sleep apnea (on the rare occasion that he does get restful sleep, his symptoms of depression disappear). My husband is currently inpatient in a psychiatric hospital. He had gotten so despondent and frustrated that he felt he was worth more dead than alive. The quality of his life has been so poor for so long he is close to giving up. Has anyone out there had a similar experience? Has anyone had any luck filing for secondary disability for depression due to sleep apnea? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Vetwife wrote:

Although he uses his BIPAP religiously, he still wakes several times a night and has to nap several times a day. He no longer has a uvula but he has started snoring again. He struggles for breath while sleeping, has night sweats, wakes with acid reflux, can't concentrate, is irritable, and depressed. It is as though he didn't have his BIPAP

Vetwife wrote:

on the rare occasion that he does get restful sleep, his symptoms of depression disappear

Dear Vetwife,

I am so sorry to hear about this situation. All those symptoms that you described could be symptoms of untreated sleep apnea. It is possible that the treatment needs adjustment. If you have not already done so, please consider also post the whole thing again down in the Help section forum so that more people might see it and make suggestions.

Is he getting proper follow-up from a doc who specializes in sleep medicine? Preferably a pulmonologist who is also a Certified Sleep Specialist?

Guest MJ



Last edited by Guest MJ on Mon Oct 22, 2007 1:02 am; edited 9 times in total

Dear Guest MJ,
Thanks for your reply. My husband has had his settings adjusted many times. That is what is frustrating. He is being treated for his apnea, but he has the same symptoms as if he had never been treated at all.

If anyone needs help getting VA disability, let me know. I will ask my husband about the process he went through. He has a 50% disability rating with the VA. He was active duty for 15 years when he was diagnosed. Because he was no longer deployable he was discharged. He received a severance pay. However, once he began to receive VA benefits they took his severance pay back. They basically withheld his VA benefits for 3 years until it was paid back. It wasn't a good time for us financially. It felt unfair that he had served his country for all those years with nothing to show for it. Oh well, life is not always fair.

Vetwife2 wrote:

Dear Guest MJ,
Thanks for your reply. My husband has had his settings adjusted many times. That is what is frustrating. He is being treated for his apnea, but he has the same symptoms as if he had never been treated at all.

If anyone needs help getting VA disability, let me know. I will ask my husband about the process he went through. He has a 50% disability rating with the VA. He was active duty for 15 years when he was diagnosed. Because he was no longer deployable he was discharged. He received a severance pay. However, once he began to receive VA benefits they took his severance pay back. They basically withheld his VA benefits for 3 years until it was paid back. It wasn't a good time for us financially. It felt unfair that he had served his country for all those years with nothing to show for it. Oh well, life is not always fair.

Hi VetWife,

Please consider registering as a member (it's free) and/or just posting down in the help section to see if anyone has any suggestions.

What type of sleep apnea was he diagnosed with? Obstructive, Mixed, Central, UARS?
Is there a special reason that he is on bi-PAP, as opposed to CPAP or auto-PAP?
How many sleep studies has he had (after surgery), and when was the most recent one?
Is he mouth-breathing or having air leak through his lips during treatment? This has been reported by people who had the surgery.

I do understand that you have been working with the docs and adjusting his settings. I am Sorry, but I couldn't let go of this story without trying again.

GMJ