The Veteran's service-connected right knee, back, and hearing loss disabilities have rendered him unemployable in the context of his education, training, and prior work experience. The Board has granted a TDIU throughout the period on appeal.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities produce functional impairments that prevent him from pursuing his previous occupation as a heavy equipment mechanic, which is considered substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee, Back, Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- October 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19177135
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased disability evaluation for PTSD but granted an earlier effective date for TDIU of August 6, 2012.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal in September 2025, stating that she is now 100% permanently and totally disabled effective April 29, 2025.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a finding of total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, as his service-connected back, bilateral hip, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and left foot disabilities do not prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for increased rating for diabetes and hearing loss, granted service connection for chronic kidney disease secondary to diabetes, and remanded the claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremity.
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