The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s service-connected disabilities, including anxiety disorder with depression and polysubstance abuse, lumbar strain, left foot sprain, right foot sprain, and tinnitus, did not manifest to a level that precluded him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment throughout the period on appeal without consideration of the Veteran's age or non-service connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety disorder with depression, Polysubstance abuse, Lumbar strain, Left foot sprain, Right foot sprain, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- April 27, 2018
- Citation
- 18101097
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 18101097.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of July 10, 2024 for service connection for PTSD, lumbar strain, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
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