The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU, and he is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his mental health conditions and physical disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's combined disability rating of 80% meets the threshold requirement for a schedular TDIU. His service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, as he is unable to work due to his mental health conditions (major depression) and physical disabilities (lumbosacral strain, left shoulder disability, right ankle instability, hemorrhoids with anal fissure).
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depression, Lumbosacral Strain, Left Shoulder Disability, Residuals of Right Ankle Reconstruction (Chronic Instability), Hemorrhoids with Anal Fissure, Right Ankle Postoperative Scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- June 21, 2017
- Citation
- 1722962
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 1722962.
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 Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Major Depression, and Panic Disorder due to his withdrawal of these issues prior to a decision being made.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date before April 1, 2018 for a 20% rating for left shoulder disability was denied. The appeal also resulted in the assignment of a 20% rating from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018, and a TDIU granted from April 1, 2018 to September 3, 2025.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities, finding insufficient evidence to establish an in-service event or injury related to his shoulders. The Veteran's current shoulder conditions are not linked to his military service.
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