The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment for the rating period prior to April 19, 2017.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities collectively prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantial gainful employment of either a physical or sedentary nature.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), left knee medial collateral ligament strain with slight instability, postconcussion syndrome, status-post traumatic brain injury (TBI) with photophobia, scoliosis, thoracic spine strain, and degenerative disc disease, right hip strain, limitation of flexion, left thumb strain, right hip strain with impairment of the thigh, costochondritis, scar, status-post laceration of the right thigh
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- April 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19133526
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to a duty to assist error.
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