The veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU benefits were denied as his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the veteran's service-connected left Achilles tendon and low back disorders alone did not render him unable to secure or find a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease at L5-S1 and L4-L5 with degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, Left Achilles tendon injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 26, 2006
- Citation
- 0633194
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 325 · Granted: 20% (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 0633194.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's left Achilles tendon injury. The compensable disability rating claim for peripheral corneal scar, left eye remains denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's left Achilles tendon injury and related conditions are rated at 30 percent, effective from November 30, 2010. The rating for his back disability is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the residuals of a left Achilles tendon injury, effective from when the initial grant of service connection was made.
- Denied
The veteran's low back disability is currently manifested by subjective complaints of pain and some limitation of range of motion, but no severe lumbosacral strain, severe limitation of low back motion, or severe intervertebral disc syndrome has been demonstrated. The RO assigned a 20 percent evaluation for the veteran's low back pain with limitation of motion.,The effective date for the assignment of a 30 percent evaluation for the residuals of a left Achilles tendon injury was granted to June 18, 1994, based on the date the veteran filed the reopened claim. The RO did not grant an earlier effective date as there is no medical evidence of an increase in the veteran's left Achilles tendon disability prior to that date.,The veteran underwent a surgical procedure for left Achilles tendinitis on September 20, 1995, and required one additional month of convalescence, to December 1, 1995. The RO granted an extension of the temporary total disability rating based on this surgery.
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