The Veteran's combined service-connected disability rating is 70 percent, but the Board found that his service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: VA medical examinations and SSA determination did not support the Veteran's claim of unemployability due to his service-connected conditions, particularly considering his education and work history.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (NOS), Chondromalacia, Left Knee, with Baker's Cyst
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- January 19, 2016
- Citation
- 1602151
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 1602151.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for depressive disorder, GERD, and an earlier effective date for a right foot drop disability were dismissed due to untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for the Veteran's psychiatric disability, including PTSD and depressive disorder, effective throughout the period on appeal. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability causes occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that a remand is necessary for the following reasons: (1) A more contemporaneous examination of the service-connected PTSD with depressive disorder NOS is warranted; (2) The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction associated with diabetes mellitus, type II requires additional VA examination to assess the current nature and extent of this service-connected disability; (3) The Veteran’s claims for service connection for left knee and right knee disabilities require obtaining relevant private treatment records and a VA examination to determine if these disabilities are related to service; (4) A remand is also necessary for determining the current severity of his service-connected PTSD, erectile dysfunction, and any other nonservice-connected disabilities, as well as whether he meets the requirement for aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been reopened and granted. The Veteran's depressive disorder is being remanded for further examination.
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