The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment throughout the appeals period, resulting in a grant of TDIU.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (including persistent depressive disorder, left Achilles tendinopathy, tinnitus, lumbar spine degenerative disc and joint disease with intervertebral disc syndrome, bilateral hearing loss, and surgical scar extensor surface, right wrist) have caused occupational impairment that prevents him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Persistent depressive disorder, Left Achilles tendinopathy, Tinnitus, Lumbar spine degenerative disc and joint disease with intervertebral disc syndrome, Bilateral hearing loss, Surgical scar extensor surface, right wrist
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- A19002755
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A19002755.
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 bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- 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.
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