The veteran's disabilities, including her service-connected low back disability and her non-service-connected dysthymia and varicose veins, are deemed to be disabling enough to prevent her from obtaining and maintaining substantial gainful employment. As a result, she is entitled to non-service-connected pension.
The deciding factor: The veteran's combined disability rating of 50% (40% for low back pain and 30% for dysthymia) exceeds the threshold required by VA regulations for permanent and total disability due to nonservice-connected disabilities not resulting from willful misconduct, thus warranting pension benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease, Dysthymia (Chronic Depression), Varicose veins
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- July 17, 2001
- Citation
- 0118548
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 0118548.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the death of the Appellant during its pendency.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, varicose veins, right knee disability, and bilateral foot pain causing impairment in earning capacity on a direct basis.
- Denied
The appeal for an increased rating for left hip, the claims for entitlement to an earlier effective date and an increased rating for right knee strain, and the appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left shoulder strain were dismissed. The claim for a 40 percent rating from June 24, 2021 for degenerative disc disease was granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disability as secondary to a cervical spine disability due to an inadequate medical opinion.
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