The veteran's service-connected disabilities, which include impingement syndrome and calcific tendonitis of the right shoulder, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, degenerative joint disease of the right ankle, and traumatic arthritis of the left index and ring fingers, effectively preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. As such, he is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected disabilities are sufficient to produce unemployability without regard to advancing age.
- Claimed conditions
- Impingement syndrome and calcific tendonitis of the right shoulder, Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, Degenerative joint disease of the right ankle, Traumatic arthritis of the left index and ring fingers
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- October 18, 2000
- Citation
- 0027563
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0027563.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his low back disability is being remanded due to the reduction in evaluation from 40 percent to 20 percent effective May 31, 2014. The RO needs to provide updated VA treatment records and schedule a VA examination to determine the current severity of the disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's cervical strain with spinal fusion is rated at 20 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating.,The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is rated at 20 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings were denied as he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause, and the evidence did not show an increase in severity of his service-connected conditions.
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