What’s the VA Rating for Sleep Apnea Secondary to PTSD?

Many veterans struggle with sleep issues. Sleep apnea issues are, in fact, more than twice as common among veterans as in general society. The VA recognizes this, and ratings can be as high as 100% for this condition, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to get the benefits you’re entitled to. Talk with a Chicago, IL PTSD disability lawyer for help in connecting your sleep apnea to your service.

VA Rating for Sleep Apnea Secondary to PTSD

Any VA rating is based on the severity of the condition itself, in this case sleep apnea, not directly on the secondary connection to PTSD. However, establishing secondary service connection allows the condition to be considered service-connected and thus compensable.

As of February 2026, the current VA rating criteria for sleep apnea remain:

• 100% (only for chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention or cor pulmonale, or which requires a tracheostomy)
• 50% (for those who need a breathing assistance device)
• 30% (for persistent daytime hypersomnolence)

The most common ratings for veterans are either 30% or 50%, and many veterans receive the 50% rating when there’s documented CPAP use.

PTSD Connection

PTSD can contribute to sleep apnea by the way it disrupts sleep patterns, causes hyperarousal, or from weight gain resulting from PTSD medications. The key here will be proving that a service connection has been granted as secondary. Your lawyer will take your medical evidence showing that it is at least as likely as not that the sleep apnea is caused or aggravated by PTSD and then use this to make your claim clear and solidly backed.

It’s important to understand that any rating you have for PTSD is separate from your rating for sleep apnea, so you will have a combined rating once you bring them both together.

Things to Know

The VA has been working on a proposal since 2022 to modernize the ratings for sleep apnea and other respiratory conditions. These have not yet been finalized as of 2026, but if they should be, then the use of a CPAP machine alone would no longer be enough to automatically grant a rating of 50%, particularly if symptoms are well controlled. For now, having to use a CPAP machine automatically gets you a 50% rating, so long as you can prove that secondary connection.

It’s also important to bear in mind that you’ll need lots of medical evidence, and it will need to be properly organized and submitted to the VA. This can be a difficult and frustrating process, which is why so many veterans get legal help to make sure their rights are defended. Even when all your evidence is in order and your filing is done correctly, there’s still a strong possibility of initial denial. Then you have to make it an appeal, and the process is neither intuitive nor simple.

Get Help From a PTSD Disability Lawyer in Chicago, IL

At the Comerford Law Office, we understand how overwhelming it can be for veterans to deal with the VA. Contact our Chicago, IL office today at 312-863-8572 to discuss your needs, and let us go to bat for you and your rights. We also serve veterans in Jonesborough, TN and ​Highland, IN.

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