The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone were not shown to prevent him from obtaining and maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational background prior to December 22, 2008. The criteria for a TDIU are therefore denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone were sufficient to prevent him from securing or following any form of substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- left ventricle dysfunction, anterior and apical segments, obstructive pulmonary disease with residuals of pulmonary tuberculosis, history of Hodgkin's disease with splenectomy, hepatitis B with cirrhosis, hypothyroidism, azoospermia, residuals of salivary gland injury due to radiation therapy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 3, 2012
- Citation
- 1223154
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 1223154.
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 Veteran's initial compensable evaluation for hypothyroidism is denied, and the Board finds that service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease and bilateral foot condition should be remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hypothyroidism and therefore denied their claim for service connection.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was dismissed. The Board granted service connection for hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis with complications, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, vitamin deficiencies, memory/cognitive impairment, unexplained arthralgias, fatigue, hair loss, and bradycardia.
- Granted
The appellant is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits, effective September 1, 2020.
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