The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not preclude him from securing and following all forms of substantially gainful employment that are consistent with his education and occupational experience prior to July 26, 2016.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show that the Veteran was unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainfully employment due solely to his service-connected disabilities alone prior to July 26, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- migraine headaches, thoracolumbar strain, arthritis of the left elbow, left wrist arthritis, right wrist arthritis, left knee arthritis with residuals of a meniscal tear, residuals of a zygomatic arch fracture, colon polyp with chronic inflammation, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, residuals of a traumatic brain injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- September 7, 2017
- Citation
- 1737712
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 1737712.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to incomplete medical records and insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between service, including a stick injury in England, and current left eye disability (including amblyopia and cataracts) as well as migraine headaches.
- Granted
The Veteran's migraine headaches are productive of very frequent, completely prostrating and prolonged attacks capable of producing severe economic inadaptability. The Board has granted a 50 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected migraine headaches was granted with an effective date of February 28, 2023.
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