The veteran's service-connected bilateral shoulder disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board denies his claim for TDIU.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show that the veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment. The weight of medical evidence shows that his inability to work is more strongly associated with alcohol use than his shoulder disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral shoulder disabilities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- December 4, 2006
- Citation
- 0637674
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,175 · Granted: 22% (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 0637674.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of June 22, 2019 for the award of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), finding that it is related to her service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and bilateral shoulder disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities, bilateral lower extremity nerve disabilities, and bilateral shoulder disabilities was dismissed because the appeal was not filed within one year of the August 8, 2024 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's lung disability and sinusitis claims are denied as there is no current diagnosis.,The deferred right foot disability claim is dismissed due to a premature Notice of Disagreement.,Heart and diabetes mellitus claims are remanded for additional etiology opinions regarding herbicide exposure.,Allergic rhinitis and bilateral shoulder disabilities claims are remanded for new etiology opinions considering toxic exposure risk activities (TERA).
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.