VA math → how VA rates sleep apnea
How VA rates sleep apnea
VA rates sleep apnea syndromes (obstructive, central, or mixed) under diagnostic code 6847 in the respiratory schedule, at 0, 30, 50, or 100 percent. The level turns on how the condition affects your breathing and daily function, not on the diagnosis alone. The 50 percent level is assigned when the condition requires use of a breathing assistance device such as a CPAP machine.
What the rating schedule says
How the regulation is applied
The device requirement sets the 50 percent level
Under diagnostic code 6847 the 50 percent evaluation is assigned when the condition requires use of a breathing assistance device such as a CPAP machine. It is that requirement, stated in the rating schedule, that maps to 50 percent (38 CFR 4.97, DC 6847).
It combines with your other ratings
A sleep apnea evaluation is combined with your other service-connected ratings using the combined ratings table, not added to them. Combined does not mean added: see how VA combines ratings.
How this combines with your other ratings
VA does not add your ratings together, it combines them by remaining efficiency, so any single rating rarely changes your combined number as much as simple addition would suggest. See how VA combines ratings, or use the combined-rating calculator.
Related terms
This explains what the rating schedule says. It is educational, not claims assistance: only a VA-accredited representative may help with the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of a claim (38 CFR 14.629). We do not advise how to obtain or increase a rating, and we determine nothing about any specific claim.