The veteran's combined disability rating is 90 percent, which satisfies the criteria for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The Board finds that his service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected disabilities (post-traumatic arthritis of both knees and right arm) are sufficient by themselves to preclude him from obtaining or maintaining any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his limited education and occupational background.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic arthritis with status post-left total knee arthroplasty, status post-right total knee arthroplasty, draining sinus, right triceps muscle, residuals of bubonic plague inoculation, right arm
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- March 12, 2004
- Citation
- 0406605
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,325 · Granted: 31% (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 0406605.
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
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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