The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a depressive disorder and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment. As his combined rating is at least 60%, he meets the schedular requirements for a TDIU under VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his depressive disorder and musculoskeletal impairments, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to their severity and impact on his ability to perform work-related tasks.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee traumatic arthritis, right lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, low back strain/degenerative arthritis, tinnitus, residuals status post fracture ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- May 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19133615
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (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 19133615.
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 hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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