The Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine disability and rheumatoid arthritis did not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment prior to February 10, 2010.
The deciding factor: The Veteran was self-employed as an independent security consultant from 1999 through 2010, despite his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease (DJD)/degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbosacral spine, Rheumatoid arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19155841
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19155841.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
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- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for travel expenses reimbursement was remanded due to the submission of an incorrect appointment date by the Veteran on his beneficiary travel claim. The Board requested the Veteran to resubmit the claim using the correct appointment date and issued a notice of decision.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for allergic conjunctivitis urticaria, neck condition, rheumatoid arthritis, and rhinitis. The Board found no current diagnoses of these conditions and no in-service events or injuries to which they could be etiologically linked.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the remand instructions have not been completed as directed and another remand is necessary for further evaluation of the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy and rheumatoid arthritis.
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