Idiopathic Hypersomnia- the Poor Man’s Narcolepsy

If you have been diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia, you may expect to be found Fit in the PEB process unless you can demonstrate how often during the work day you experience sleepiness or staring off into space that can be rated by analogy to narcolepsy.   You see, there is no VA rating code for idiopathic hypersomnia.  It is rated by analogy to narcolepsy. The problem for service members is that pulmonary specialists who treat this condition do not recognize that periods of sleepiness or sleep inertia are treated as analogous to cataplexy for rating purposes.  What does this mean for you? It means that you must provide your treating specialists with nonmedical evidence letters from coworkers and supervisors documenting such episodes and insisting that the frequency of these events is specifically recorded in your medical records.  Otherwise, you may be sadly disappointed in the outcome of your case.