The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and peripheral neuropathy, are found to be so severe that they prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's multiple service-connected disabilities, particularly his back pain and joint arthritis, significantly limit his ability to work.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, diabetes mellitus, degenerative arthritic changes of the right shoulder, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, degenerative arthritic changes of the right wrist, degenerative arthritic changes of the left wrist, degenerative arthritic changes of the left knee, degenerative arthritic changes of the right knee, degenerative arthritic changes of the left ankle, degenerative arthritic changes of the right ankle, epicondylitis of the right elbow, high frequency hearing loss of the right ear, bilateral otitis media, hemorrhoids, bilateral tinea pedis and onychomycosis of the right great toenail, bilateral cataracts, peripheral vascular disease of the right lower extremity, peripheral vascular disease of the left lower extremity, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- March 15, 2010
- Citation
- 1009580
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 1009580.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches with an initial rating of 50 percent effective from August 10, 2022, and denied the claims for service connection for a right knee disability, obstructive sleep apnea, kidney disability, low back disability, and erectile dysfunction.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding its etiology.
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