The appellant's combined disability rating is 70 percent, which meets the basic percentage standards for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. However, his service-connected conditions do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: VA medical examinations and assessments concluded that the appellant's PTSD does not significantly impact his ability to work, despite his other service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), degenerative joint disease of the right foot, residuals of gunshot wound to the right hand, degenerative joint disease of the left foot, left varicocele
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- April 30, 2003
- Citation
- 0308169
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,592 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0308169.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected left varicocele with surgical resection, finding that his symptoms are comparable to those of intermittent edema and fatigue after prolonged standing or walking.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with MDD is found to be the cause of his sleep apnea, and he has been granted secondary service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there is new and relevant evidence to readjudicate the claim of entitlement to service connection for hernia. The Veteran's current hernia diagnosis is not supported by the record, and his lay statements alone are insufficient to meet the standard to remand for a VA medical examination and/or opinion. For the left varicocele claim, the Board has determined that there is new and relevant evidence to readjudicate the claim, but further clarification on the etiology of the condition is needed.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for erectile dysfunction, cervical spine condition, OSA, anxiety disorder, PTSD, and depression disorder as they were previously denied by prior decisions that have not been vacated or remanded.
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