Would I be a fool to get out of the military?

[dposborne]

Seriously..... You get a 50% rating for obstructive sleep apnea? Well at least that will keep me in business due to more government funding. It is kind of funny though that you would get a disability rating for that when most likely the military had nothing to do with it; however, like I said it keeps me in business to an extent.

Based on the assumption that the VA gives out ratings for things that occurred or developed while in the military, giving a high rating on something as serious as OSA is only logical especially if there is absolutely no evidence that the individual had this disorder prior to entering service. I am in no way saying that serving in the military can always lead to the development of OSA, but in some cases it is possible. Considering some of the possible causes of OSA: obesity or even excess weight, smoking, alcohol use, allergies, hereditary reasons, etc... we can see that some causes are controllable... Obesity is listed as one of the major causes of Sleep Apnea which to some extent is controllable, but not always. The military provides the meals and a good example of where one doesn't have a choice on what to eat is on Submarines where you pretty much eat what is provided and be happy with it. Exercise opportunities are very rare on submarines as well (where do you put the gym?)

Just for knowledge sakes I am not downplaying the severity of OSA by any means, I just find it interesting that you get a disability percentage for it.

I actually thought that getting rated 10% for my hypertension was weird since it is most closely linked to genes or 10% each for arthritis in my back, neck and knees.