When a sleep study or other medical record contains a factual error, such as an incorrect height that skews a BMI calculation and results in an obesity notation, you are not required to simply accept that error as fixed fact. The VA rating activity and C&P examiners look at the totality of the evidence in the claims file, not just one isolated data point, so the goal is to make the correct information impossible to miss and to explain the discrepancy clearly.
Start by gathering every service treatment record, personnel record, or VA record that lists your accurate height, ideally from entries close in time to the sleep study in question, including the clinic visit that led to the referral. Consistency across multiple official records is strong evidence that the sleep study entry was a data entry error rather than an accurate measurement.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →When you submit your claim, use the “remarks” or “additional evidence” section of VA Form 21-526EZ, or attach a personal statement (a buddy statement format works, or simply a signed and dated statement from you) that says plainly: the sleep study recorded my height as 5'8" in error; my correct and consistently documented height is 6'0"; using the correct height, my BMI falls outside the obesity range; therefore the obesity notation in that study is inaccurate. Attach copies of the records showing the correct height, with the relevant entries highlighted or flagged with sticky notes/annotations if you are submitting paper copies, or bracketed callouts if submitting a PDF.
If you already have a diagnosis of sleep apnea and a CPAP prescription, the obesity notation matters mainly because VA examiners sometimes attribute sleep apnea to obesity rather than service when weighing secondary or direct service connection, particularly in claims where a service event, injury, or aggravating factor is the connecting link. Correcting the record removes a potential distractor that could otherwise be used to suggest a nonservice-connected cause.
If the case has already been decided and the incorrect BMI was cited as a reason for a lower rating or denial, a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) with the corrected height documentation as new and relevant evidence is the appropriate path, since it goes directly to the factual basis of the prior decision.
As a concrete next step, compile the service and clinical records showing your correct height, write a brief personal statement explaining the sleep study error, and submit both with your claim now rather than waiting to see how the rating decision addresses it.
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