The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational background and occupational experience. Therefore, the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disorders are not met.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that no major limitations were detected on the physical examination that could interfere with the veteran's physical capacity to work at his occupation of accountant.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar laminectomy, lumbar paravertebral myositis with degenerative joint disease, bilateral L4, L5, S1 lumbar polyradiculopathy, duodenal ulcer disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- January 31, 2008
- Citation
- 0803544
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 0803544.
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 has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine disability prior to January 9, 2020 and from January 9, 2020 onwards due to insufficient discussion of the ameliorative effects of medications used by the Veteran.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis, spinal stenosis, and lumbar laminectomy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for his lumbar spine disability and bilateral radiculopathy of the lower extremities have been dismissed due to his explicit, unambiguous requests to withdraw these appeals.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions on whether the inguinal hernia is related to service or if it was aggravated by a pre-existing duodenal ulcer disease.
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