The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied as his service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to December 15, 2016.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities prior to December 15, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Psychiatric disorder, Diabetes mellitus, Residuals of a shrapnel fragment wound (SFW) right thumb, Scar of the left thigh from SFW, Tinnitus, Cervical strain, Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19181983
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 claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
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