The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he has a master’s degree in educational administration and work experience as an Army instructor/teacher. The Board finds that the evidence is insufficient to show his physical impairments prevent him from performing sedentary work.
The deciding factor: The Veteran maintains that since he retired he has applied for many jobs with the VA and through the federal government but was not hired because of his service-connected disabilities, which violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Board does not consider hypothetical events or future possibilities in determining unemployability.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee condition with degenerative changes, Left knee condition with degenerative changes, Bilateral pes planus, Hypertension with chest pain, Low back condition with degenerative changes, Tinnitus, Right lower extremity radiculopathy associated with low back condition with degenerative changes, Right knee patellar subluxation, Left knee patellar subluxation, Left knee condition with degenerative changes (painful motion), Right knee condition with degenerative changes (painful motion)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- April 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19132177
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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 19132177.
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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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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