The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, as his psychiatric disability does not impair his ability to work, and he is capable of performing sedentary or light physical activity.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful occupation due to the impact on his mental health condition and physical restrictions.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive reaction, Spondylosis of the cervical spine, Spondylosis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 29, 2016
- Citation
- 1612652
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1612652.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disability as secondary to a cervical spine disability due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound status. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s), prior to August 10, 2022. However, the Board found that VA's duty to assist requires an examination to determine if the Veteran is housebound due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating in several areas, including obstructive sleep apnea and spondylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of an effective date prior to August 27, 2013, for the assignment of a 50 percent rating for depressive reaction is dismissed because she withdrew her claim.
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