The veteran's nonservice-connected disabilities, including arthritis of the left shoulder and lumbar spine, limit his ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that he is entitled to a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the veteran's physical disabilities permanently preclude him from engaging in all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his age, education, and work experience.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis of the left shoulder, limitation of motion of the lumbar spine, noncompensable evaluations assigned to arthritis of the right shoulder, right hip, left hip, and hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- April 23, 2002
- Citation
- 0203708
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 0203708.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted higher levels of Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) at rates based on loss of use of both hands and need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The appeals to reopen the claims of service connection for right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, arthritis of the back, arthritis of the joints (other than hips, right shoulder, and neck), and arthritis of the left shoulder are granted.,The appeals to reopen the claims of service connection for arthritis of the neck are denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of arthritis of the back, bilateral hips, and bilateral shoulders due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between these conditions and his military service. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection based on exposure to herbicide agents or other presumptive diseases.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of skin cancer excision scars, bilateral hearing loss, and multiple noncompensable disabilities are dismissed. The Board also remanded the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected hypertension, as well as his claims for arthritis of various joints.
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