The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including shrapnel wounds of the abdomen and right knee, TKA for his right knee, painful scars, ventral hernia, gunshot wounds to the thigh, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and a scar from his right knee replacement, prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities create physical limitations that preclude him from performing physically demanding jobs he was previously qualified for, such as meat cutting in a grocery store. His hearing loss also impedes his ability to work effectively around others or in public environments.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of shrapnel wounds of the right and left abdomen, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, to include total knee replacement (TKA), painful scars, right thigh and abdomen, ventral hernia, residuals, gunshot wounds, right thigh, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166392
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 19166392.
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 remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- 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).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 25, 2022, for the award of service connection for tinnitus and a 100 percent initial rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder.
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