Jim,

What documents can I use beside medical records to show that will connect my memory loss with my diagnose Sleep Apnea which was not diagnosed until 3 years after I was retired? I have had memory loss for over 20 years, however no one in the military had ever suggested Sleep Apnea.

During my Retirement I did put down memory loss which was denied because of no medical proof. Now I have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea through a VA hospital, however VA has told me that since I was diagnosed outside of my military career, it is denied. I have no medical records testing me for sleep apnea, because no doctor put the symptoms together, memory loss/sleep while driving/and sleep at lights, instead they said stress, age, and sent me for MRI or phy evals.

Because of my memory loss I can’t give them information they ask for if any exist proof. I just don’t remember when or where I may have been seen by doctors. Most MRI or phy visits did not put the specific complaint from me( for whatever reason I do not know)

Is there any advise you can give me that would help me prove my situation, besides medical records that do not exist, at least after 7 overseas tours and several change of stations I can only recall two places, Ft Irwin CA, and Ft. Campbell KY were I complained about memory problems. Both were written off as combat stress, and nothing connected me not breathing at night. (mostly because my wife and I was separated due to military deployments / schools / Field problems that she could not at the time give a doctor my sleep habits)

In fact nothing was parent until after I retired and we were able to sleep in the same bed.

Reply:

Your best bet today is to have a thorough medical examination with a physician who can attest to your current problems and what may be causing that. Lost records are a huge issue for many veterans and there are no good answers. In your case, I'd urge you to speak with your doctor for assistance.

Sleep apnea is very difficult to have service connected late in life if there was no firm evidence of the diagnosis in service. Many of us develop sleep apnea as we age. That isn't the same problem as some snoring we may have experienced many years ago in service. You'll have a very hard time proving that you had sleep apnea during service unless you have specific records of a diagnosis from a sleep study or similar records from your active duty days.