The Veteran's service-connected thoracic spine disability, along with other disabilities, does not meet the criteria for a TDIU due to its impact on his ability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s education and work history do not support a finding of unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities as he has completed an associate's degree and had a two-year occupational background in software analysis, which he continued after separation from military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracic spine disability, Tinnitus, Right shoulder disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19150295
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for right and left shoulder disabilities, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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