The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The combined disability rating is 80 percent, but the Veteran's non-service-connected disabilities and age preclude a finding of unemployability due to his service-connected conditions alone.
- Claimed conditions
- tinea corporis of lower legs, tinea pedis (to include hands), cervical spine degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease, cervical neuropathy of right upper extremity, history of incision and drainage of left index finger, disfigurement due to bone loss and partial loss of function of the right foot, scar of the left index finger, scar of the plantar surface of the right foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 29, 2011
- Citation
- 1128358
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1128358.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for a scar of the left index finger and partial loss of sensation of the left index finger, finding that these conditions are related to an in-service knife laceration injury.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected. The other claims are remanded for further development.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbar spondylosis and spinal stenosis at L4-5 lumbar spine with associated radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board grants his TDIU claim.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions, including shoulder and spine disabilities, as well as an acquired psychiatric disorder. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service disease or injury related to these conditions.
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