The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment throughout the appeal period, warranting a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (left knee instability, lumbosacral strain, right ankle degenerative joint disease, and left ankle osteoarthritis) have made it very difficult for him to obtain and maintain employment in any occupation due to physical limitations.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease with instability of the left knee, Postoperative lumbosacral strain, Degenerative joint disease of the right ankle, Left ankle osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19118225
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,421 · 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 19118225.
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 denied increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the right ankle but granted a separate rating for instability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the right ankle and entitlement to TDIU due to an issue being inextricably intertwined.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his right ankle disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's right ankle disability, including instability and a scar, is rated at the maximum allowable under current criteria. A separate rating for mild instability is granted.
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