The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to July 21, 2015 rendered her unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's combined rating of 90% for multiple service-connected conditions made it impossible for her to engage in substantial gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive disorder, Cervical spine disorder, Left knee arthritis with left snapping hip syndrome, Left shoulder degenerative arthritis, Lumbar spondylosis (low back disorder), Cervical spine spondylosis (neck disorder), Right knee arthritis, Tinnitus, Left upper extremity scar, Dermatitis, Hypothyroidism, Right carpal tunnel syndrome, Left carpal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- January 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19103192
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,037 · Granted: 21% (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 19103192.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and psychiatric disorder due to incomplete information. The Veteran needs to provide his complete service personnel records, verify his alleged combat experience in Vietnam, and undergo VA examinations for both conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a causal relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- 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.
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