The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following some form of substantially gainful employment, as he is currently employed in information technology.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current employment does not contradict the fact that his service-connected disabilities alone are not severe enough to preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- plantar fasciitis, chronic muscle strain of the left shoulder, mild degenerative disk disease of lumbar spine with slight scoliosis, psoriasis, mild degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the right knee, mild DJD of distal interphalangeal joint of the right little finger, surgical scar of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- December 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18157132
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 18157132.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion on whether plantar fasciitis was aggravated by active duty training.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection for psoriasis and a higher initial disability rating.
- Partly granted
The appeal for service connection for fibromyalgia was granted with an effective date of August 14, 2023. The appeals for earlier effective dates and higher ratings were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's asthma with sinusitis, but denied service connection for a low back sprain and plantar fasciitis. The claim for a neck condition was dismissed.
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