The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and work background.
The deciding factor: VA examinations indicated that the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities, including arthritis of the right knee and tinnitus, did not prevent him from performing all forms of substantially gainful employment, particularly sedentary roles such as teaching.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety Disorder, Residuals of a gunshot wound to the left thigh with slight muscle damage to muscle groups XV and XIII, Contusion of the left foot with superficial involvement of the peroneal and tibial nerves, Tender scar of the left thigh, Arthritis of the right knee, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- September 4, 2014
- Citation
- 1439351
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 1439351.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial ratings for anxiety disorder and TBI were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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