The Veteran's service-connected tension headaches, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cervical spondylosis disabilities prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment. After affording the Veteran the benefit of the doubt, his service-connected disabilities alone are sufficient to meet the criteria for a TDIU.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including tension headaches, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and cervical spondylosis, prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment due to their impact on his ability to work in a physical environment. Given the severity of these conditions and the Veteran's educational background and previous work history, he is unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- tension headaches, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), cervical spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- March 19, 2018
- Citation
- 1817074
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 1817074.
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 determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
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