The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a TDIU was denied as the evidence did not establish that he was unemployable solely due to his service-connected disabilities prior to May 10, 1999.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had other factors contributing to his unemployment such as cocaine addiction and depression, which were not solely attributable to his service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar strain with degenerative changes of the lumbar and thoracic spines (back condition), Depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 22, 2010
- Citation
- 1023230
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 1023230.
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 Board granted service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for PTSD and depressive disorder to schedule a VA examination as new and relevant evidence has been received.
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