The RO granted a TDIU effective October 10, 1996 based on the veteran's combined rating of 70% due to his service-connected disabilities. However, an earlier effective date is denied as the veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU prior to this date.
The deciding factor: The veteran only had a 60% combined rating prior to October 10, 1996, which was increased to 70% when his tinnitus disability was assigned a 10% rating effective October 10, 1996. The RO granted the TDIU based on this increase in combined rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Impairment of sphincter control (hemorrhoids), Low back disability, Right knee disability, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- August 28, 2006
- Citation
- 0627031
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,013 · Granted: 17% (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 0627031.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
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