The Veteran was denied a permanent and total disability rating for nonservice-connected pension purposes as he did not meet the criteria to be unemployable due to his disabilities.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that while the Veteran had a psychiatric disorder, it did not render him permanently and totally disabled such that he could not secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depression, Hepatitis C, Left Knee Arthralgia with Possible Degenerative Joint Disease, Patella Femoral Pain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2009
- Citation
- 0906310
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 0906310.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Major Depression, and Panic Disorder due to his withdrawal of these issues prior to a decision being made.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable initial rating for Hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's condition was asymptomatic and did not meet the criteria for any higher rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected major depression and anxiety disorder are considered part of his service-connected peripheral neuropathy, which already qualifies him for SMC(l). Therefore, he is not eligible for a higher rate of SMC.
- Denied
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, is rated at 70 percent. The Board denied an initial evaluation in excess of 70 percent.
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