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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (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 0813417.
What this means for you
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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 identified a contradiction in the AOJ's determinations regarding the Veteran's need for aid and assistance, which requires clarification. The remanded issues are entitlement to SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another and on the basis of statutory housebound status.
- Denied
The Veteran is found not competent to handle the disbursement of VA funds, and his appeal is denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) due to being housebound is denied because he does not have a single service-connected disability rated as total, and his disabilities are not separate and distinct from the maximum combined rating of 100 percent.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder. The evidence is at least in balance regarding whether his current conditions are related to his military service.
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