The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such nature and severity as to preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment, thus meeting the criteria for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected conditions prevent him from performing jobs that require prolonged standing, walking, bending, squatting, and climbing stairs.
- Claimed conditions
- right foot arthritis, mid foot and hind foot with hammertoes, lumbar degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left hip disability, limited adduction and rotation, left hip disability, limited flexion, right ankle traumatic arthritis, right foot scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- October 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19178596
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 earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and granted initial 40 percent ratings for left upper extremity CTS, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC) housebound status, but dismissed the claims for initial ratings in excess of 40 percent for lumbosacral spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted initial disability ratings of 40 percent for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, a 20 percent rating for lumbar spine disability, denied an increased rating for obstructive sleep apnea with asthma, granted TDIU from May 7, 2021, and SMC from September 10, 2021.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
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