Sleep Apnea Secondary to Allergic Rhinitis Nexus Letter
By Telemedica
4/26/2024
If your VA claim was denied or you didn’t receive the disability rating you deserve, you may be missing crucial information like a nexus letter.
A nexus letter frequently proves to be the missing link when service-connecting your condition to your military service.
In this post, we’ll discuss how a sleep apnea secondary to allergic rhinitis nexus letter can be the key to winning your VA claim and how the team at Telemedica can help.
Let’s get started.
Sleep Apnea Secondary to Allergic Rhinitis Nexus Letter
It’s highly recommended to obtain a nexus letter if you have sleep apnea that may have been caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition like allergic rhinitis. While nexus letters aren’t required, they can help strengthen your claim and offer the credibility you need to win your VA disability claim.
A nexus letter with high-probative value should include:
- The physician’s credentials, particularly ones that make them a trustworthy source for the following opinion (i.e., a cardiologist talking about a heart condition, etc.).
- A reference indicating that the physician composing the letter has thoroughly reviewed the veteran’s medical records and military records that pertain to the claim.
- The physician’s opinion regarding the cause of the current diagnosed condition and its relation to the veteran’s military service.
- Medical rationale that fully supports the physician’s opinion.
The Connection Between Sleep Apnea and Allergic Rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, causes inflammation and congestion in your nasal passages and airway. While allergic rhinitis has similar symptoms to the common cold, it is caused by allergens instead of a virus.
If you have existing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), your condition may be aggravated by symptoms of allergic rhinitis.
Allergic rhinitis increases your risk of OSA by two primary mechanisms:
- An increase in airway resistance due to higher nasal resistance; and
- Reduction in pharyngeal diameter from mouth breathing that moves the jaw insufficiently
Service-Connecting Sleep Apnea Secondary to Allergic Rhinitis
As part of your VA disability claim for sleep apnea secondary to allergic rhinitis, you must be able to prove service connection. Service connection requires:
- A current medical diagnosis (documented in a medical record) of the secondary VA disability you’re attempting to link (Sleep Apnea) to the current service-connected disability (Allergic Rhinitis) AND
- A current service-connected primary disability (Allergic Rhinitis) AND
- Medical nexus evidence (can be a Nexus Letter) establishing a connection between the service-connected primary condition (Allergic Rhinitis) AND the current disability you’re trying to connect secondary (Sleep Apnea)
The VA requires you to attend a sleep study to receive an accurate sleep apnea diagnosis. A sleep study is crucial in finding evidence of irregular breathing, gasping, and other common signs of sleep apnea.
VA Ratings for Sleep Apnea Secondary to Allergic Rhinitis
The VA rates sleep apnea at 0%, 30%, 50%, and 100%, depending on the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms.
The highest VA rating for sleep apnea secondary to allergic rhinitis is 100%, with most veterans receiving a 50% rating for obstructive sleep apnea.
You can find the VA rating for sleep apnea under 38 CFR § 4.97, Diagnostic Code 6847 Schedule of Ratings – Sleep Apnea Syndromes (Obstructive, Central, Mixed).
Medical Evidence Wins VA Claims
Whether you need a nexus letter for sleep apnea secondary to rhinitis or something else, we make it EASY for veterans to connect with a licensed provider through our HIPAA-compliant telemedicine platform—anytime, anywhere!
From DBQs and Nexus Letters to Psych Evals and Telemedicine Evaluations, the Telemedica team is standing by to serve you. Get the evidence you need to win your VA claim today.