The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from April 16, 2003. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether his service-connected disabilities alone precluded him from securing and following substantially gainful employment on an extraschedular basis effective April 16, 2003.
The deciding factor: The private vocational assessments provided sound reasoning for the opinions that he was unable to work due to his service-connected disabilities since 2003.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative joint disease, post operative residuals of a left knee meniscus tear with lateral instability, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee patellofemoral syndrome with degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- October 31, 2017
- Citation
- 1749163
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 1749163.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis and shin splints due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA examination. The case is now pending with a request for a new opinion.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis is dismissed. The claims for service connection for psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, and other conditions are granted.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right knee disability, left knee arthritis, and bilateral knee instability. The decision is based on the Veteran's competent and credible lay evidence regarding the onset of symptoms in service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right knee degenerative arthritis, as his current conditions are not linked to his military service.
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