Sleep apnea DC 6847
Listed in the rating schedule as “Sleep Apnea Syndromes (Obstructive, Central, Mixed)”. VA rates it under diagnostic code 6847 in 38 CFR 4.97. Body system: Breathing & sleep.
Also searched as: OSA, obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, CPAP.
How VA rates it
The schedule allows 4 rating levels for this code: 0%, 30%, 50%, and 100%. VA picks the level whose criteria best match your symptoms and records.
50% usually requires a CPAP or similar breathing device.
Source: 38 CFR 4.97 on eCFR. Read the full criteria there before you file.
Rating levels and criteria
| Rating | What the schedule says |
|---|---|
| 100% | Chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention or cor pulmonale, or; requires tracheostomy |
| 50% | Requires use of breathing assistance device such as continuous airway pressure (CPAP) machine |
| 30% | Persistent day-time hypersomnolence |
| 0% | Asymptomatic but with documented sleep disorder breathing |
Criteria text from 38 CFR 4.97, eCFR as of November 10, 2026. The eCFR is the official source if anything here differs.
Review for entitlement to special monthly compensation under § 3.350 of this chapter.
Conditions it can lead to
If this condition is service connected, these conditions are often claimed as secondary to it (38 CFR 3.310). Each one still needs its own diagnosis.
Hypertension DC 7101 Established link
Repeated drops in oxygen during sleep raise blood pressure, and NIH lists high blood pressure as a health effect of sleep apnea.
What to gather: A hypertension diagnosis (readings on at least three days) and a medical opinion linking it to your sleep apnea.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); NHLBI (NIH): Living with sleep apnea; Obstructive sleep apnea-related hypertension: review of the literature (Hypertens Res, 2024)
Supraventricular tachycardia DC 7010 Established link
Sleep apnea raises the risk of atrial fibrillation, which VA rates under the supraventricular tachycardia code.
What to gather: An ECG-confirmed diagnosis of atrial fibrillation and a medical opinion linking it to your sleep apnea.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); NHLBI (NIH): Living with sleep apnea; NHLBI (NIH): What causes atrial fibrillation; Associations of obstructive sleep apnea with atrial fibrillation: a review (JAMA Cardiol, 2018); 38 CFR 4.104
Diabetes (type 2) DC 7913 Possible link
NIH lists type 2 diabetes among the conditions sleep apnea can raise your risk for.
What to gather: A type 2 diabetes diagnosis and a medical opinion linking it to your sleep apnea.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); NHLBI (NIH): Living with sleep apnea
GERD / acid reflux DC 7206 Possible link
NIH lists acid reflux among the conditions sleep apnea can raise your risk for.
What to gather: A GERD diagnosis and a medical opinion linking it to your sleep apnea.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); NHLBI (NIH): Living with sleep apnea
Commonly claimed as secondary to
If one of these is already service connected, you may be able to claim this condition as secondary to it.
Allergic rhinitis DC 6522 Possible link Aggravation
A blocked nose from rhinitis is linked with obstructive sleep apnea and can make it worse.
What to gather: A sleep study showing sleep apnea and a medical opinion that your rhinitis caused or worsened it.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310(b) (aggravation); Association between allergic and nonallergic rhinitis and obstructive sleep apnea (Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol, 2018)
PTSD DC 9411 Possible link
Obstructive sleep apnea is much more common in people with PTSD. Weight gain from PTSD or its medicines can be a step in the chain, which VA allows.
What to gather: A sleep study showing sleep apnea and a medical opinion linking it to your PTSD. If weight gain is the link, the opinion must say your PTSD caused the weight gain and that the weight gain was a substantial factor in the sleep apnea. Obesity itself can't be service connected.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with PTSD: meta-analysis (Sleep Med, 2017); PTSD and risk of obesity: systematic review and meta-analysis (J Clin Psychiatry, 2015); VA General Counsel VAOPGCPREC 1-2017 (obesity as an intermediate step)
Related medications
Medications that can cause or worsen it
If you take one of these for a service-connected condition, this condition may be claimable as secondary to that condition. You need a diagnosis, your prescription records, and a medical opinion.
Opioid pain medicines (for example oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, hydromorphone) Established link
Opioid labels warn that they can cause sleep-related breathing disorders, including central sleep apnea.
Sources: FDA label: Oxycodone (DailyMed)
Medications prescribed for it
A prescription shows the condition was diagnosed. It still needs its own link to service.
- Armodafinil (Nuvigil). FDA labels: Armodafinil (DailyMed)
- Modafinil (Provigil). FDA labels: Modafinil (DailyMed)
- Solriamfetol (Sunosi). FDA labels: Solriamfetol (DailyMed)
- Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). FDA labels: Tirzepatide (DailyMed)
Check your claim
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Rating schedule data as of November 10, 2026. Secondary and presumptive links checked November 13, 2026.
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