The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have, as likely as not, precluded him from maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work history for the period prior to May 20, 2014.
The deciding factor: VA examinations and opinions consistently noted the Veteran's psychiatric difficulties (depressive disorder) combined with physical limitations due to a compression fracture of L1 rendered problems with occupational and social functioning, including inability to establish and maintain effective relationships, difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances, and chronic sleep impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder associated with compression fracture of L1, compression fracture of L1, fracture left patella, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- October 20, 2017
- Citation
- 1747003
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 1747003.
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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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