The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including gout affecting his ankles and knees, obstructive sleep apnea, lumbosacral degenerative discogenic disease, hypertension, eczema, left occipital neuralgia, plantar fasciitis of the left heel, osteoarthritis of the left first metatarsophalangeal joint, right thumb residual fracture fragmentation, internal hemorrhoids, and status post neoplasm excisions of the large intestine, are found to be so severe that they prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment. The Board grants a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including gout affecting his ankles and knees, obstructive sleep apnea, lumbosacral degenerative discogenic disease, hypertension, eczema, left occipital neuralgia, plantar fasciitis of the left heel, osteoarthritis of the left first metatarsophalangeal joint, right thumb residual fracture fragmentation, internal hemorrhoids, and status post neoplasm excisions of the large intestine, are found to be so severe that they prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- gout affecting bilateral ankles, bilateral knees and left foot, obstructive sleep apnea, lumbosacral degenerative discogenic disease, hypertension, eczema, left occipital neuralgia, plantar fasciitis of the left heel, osteoarthritis of the left first metatarsophalangeal joint, right thumb residual fracture fragmentation, internal hemorrhoids, status post neoplasm excisions of the large intestine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- March 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19117314
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · 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 19117314.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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