The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder, bilateral knee and back conditions, radiculopathies, and erectile dysfunction, render him incapable of securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected musculoskeletal, neurological, and psychiatric disorders prevent him from performing jobs that require manual labor, as well as sedentary employment due to his education level and lack of experience in such fields.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder, Left knee degenerative joint disease, Right knee degenerative joint disease, Left knee instability, Right knee instability, Erectile dysfunction, Back disability, Left lower extremity radiculopathy, Right lower extremity radiculopathy, Left lower extremity femoral nerve impairment
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- March 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19115838
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 19115838.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy but remanded the back disability claim for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability but denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the right knee.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted an effective date of July 31, 2012, for TDIU and October 22, 2012, for service connection of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Granted
The Board granted initial ratings of 40 percent for lumbar spine disorder, 70 percent for major depressive disorder, and 40 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy. TDIU and SMC based on housebound status were also granted.
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