The Veteran's combined disability rating is at most 50 percent, which does not meet the threshold requirements for TDIU. The evidence of record indicates that the Veteran had the capability to obtain and maintain substantial gainful employment during the appeal period.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's combined disability rating (30% as of February 4, 2011; 50% as of August 16, 2011) does not meet the threshold requirements for TDIU (70% or more), and there is no evidence to support a finding that he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar degenerative disc disease, L5-S1 lumbar fusion, Lumbar radiculopathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- January 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19101642
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,329 · Granted: 31% (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 19101642.
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 has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for acute kidney failure and lumbar degenerative disc disease, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine arthritis, bilateral knee degenerative arthritis, and lumbar degenerative disc disease. The Veteran's conditions are deemed to have been incurred during his active military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for CTS, left, is granted. The claim for a separate disability manifested by left hand pain that is distinct from CTS, left, is denied due to lack of evidence supporting such a condition.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease but denied an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction and service connection for generalized anxiety disorder.
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