The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to September 5, 2013 were rated at a combined 90 percent. Considering the totality of his service-connected conditions and their impact on his ability to work, these disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment due to their asymptomatic nature and manageable levels of pain and disability.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease, bilateral hearing loss, status post total left knee arthroplasty, medial compartment knee joint space loss and mild genu varus angulation of the left knee, severe two-compartment osteoarthritis, medial compartment and patellofemoral joint space of the right knee with limited extension, tinnitus, arthritis of the left shoulder, arthritis of the right shoulder, arthritis of the right elbow, arthritis of the left elbow, low back syndrome, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- February 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1604710
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 1604710.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
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