The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and secure substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The objective medical evidence of record failed to establish that the Veteran was precluded from employment due to service-connected disability, as his symptoms did not rise to a level where he could not perform sedentary work.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of thoracic spine injury with anterior wedging T8-T11, degenerative changes of the cervical spine with possible myelopathy, neuralgia of the right upper extremity, neuralgia of the left upper extremity, pain disorder (formerly claimed as affective depression)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- December 19, 2017
- Citation
- 1758969
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 1758969.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for back injury and syrinx/hydromyelia, reopened the claims based on new evidence, and denied increased ratings for fibromyalgia, blepharospasm, small fiber neuropathy with autonomic dysfunction, and cervical spondylosis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted separate ratings of 20 percent for neuralgia in the left and right upper extremities but denied higher initial ratings for radiculopathy in both extremities.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for neuralgia of the left upper extremity and bilateral corneal opacities as he failed to identify specific determinations with which he disagreed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing VCAA notice in conjunction with a TDIU claim.
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