The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depressive disorder, patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee, post-operative residuals of a dislocated left knee cap, and status post excision of a cyst in the left occipital skull area, do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability does not result in unemployability, as he is employable from a mental disorder standpoint. The primary impact on his employment is related to physical conditions such as pain and medical issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive disorder, Patellofemoral syndrome, right knee, Post operative residuals, dislocated left knee cap, Status post excision, cyst, left occipital skull area
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2008
- Citation
- 0813417
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 Veteran's claims for additional VA examinations to properly evaluate the current severity of her disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's depressive disorder was granted a 70 percent disability rating from April 27, 2020 to August 15, 2022, and a TDIU was also granted.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of July 14, 2020, for the grant of service connection for IVDS with spinal fusion and lumbar disc disease with stenosis, as well as associated radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves of the left and right lower extremities, and depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to verify periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA from 1998 to 2006 and to obtain a new VA examination.
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