The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his thoracolumbar spine strain, left knee degenerative joint disease, and right foot arthritis, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since August 19, 2015.
The deciding factor: The combined effects of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his back pain and foot conditions, have made it impossible for him to perform the physical tasks required by most jobs.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracolumbar spine strain, left lower extremity thoracolumbar spine radiculopathy, right lower extremity thoracolumbar spine radiculopathy, left knee degenerative joint disease, right foot arthritis first metatarsophalangeal joint with small plantar calcaneal spur, left hip arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- January 31, 2018
- Citation
- 1806206
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 1806206.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his bilateral knee disabilities due to a need for an additional VA examination that addresses the level of functional impairment absent the beneficial effects of medication.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the award of service connection and denied increased ratings for various disabilities, but granted a separate rating for left upper extremity radiculopathy from October 20, 2020.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right hip arthritis and a TDIU as of June 8, 2020, while denying increased ratings for sciatica, left hip arthritis, and bilateral hearing loss.
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