The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU benefits is denied as the evidence does not show he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities prior to February 11, 2016.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions of record clearly reflect that the Veteran was capable of performing sedentary and light physical work prior to February 2016, and he had the necessary training and education to perform such work.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Right Knee Disability, Gastroenteritis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Tinnitus, Lower Respiratory Obstruction/Asthma, Tension Headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- A19002927
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 A19002927.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claims for urinary frequency disability and residuals of a cholecystectomy were denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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