The Board finds that the evidence does not demonstrate that the veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation solely due to his service-connected disabilities, and therefore, entitlement to TDIU is denied.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence provided very negative evidence against the claim of unemployability based on service-connected disabilities, with the most significant being the post-service traumatic brain injury (TBI) that rendered the veteran unable to work.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy in left and right lower extremities, residuals of left wrist surgery, hearing loss in the left ear, left inguinal hernia repair, left index trigger finger, left thumb condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2006
- Citation
- 0614219
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 0614219.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cervical spine condition, diabetes mellitus, heart condition, lumbar spine condition, and urinary frequency and voiding condition as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded the claims for sinus disability, bilateral hip disability, right shoulder disability, hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes mellitus, skin disability, back disability, bilateral neurological disability of the upper extremities, and bilateral neurological disability of the lower extremities.
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