The Veteran's TDIU claim for prior to October 31, 2018 was denied as his unemployability was not solely due to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found that the Veteran’s nonservice-connected disorders (neck injury, migraine headaches, shoulder pain, short bowel syndrome, and closed head injury) were more likely than not the cause of his inability to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar spine disorder, Hearing loss, Left knee injury with arthritis and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, Degenerative arthritis of the right foot, Right knee disorder (degenerative arthritis), Left knee instability, Left knee limitation of extension, Right knee instability, Right knee limitation of extension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- November 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19183832
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,162 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19183832.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hearing loss and low back strain claims are remanded for further evaluation. The hearing loss claim is denied, while the low back strain claim requires additional examination to determine its severity.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is not related to military noise exposure and there is no evidence of a nexus between in-service noise exposure and his current condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's entitlement to higher level of SMC at the intermediate rate is granted, effective from January 8, 2021. He was previously in need of aid and attendance due to his left knee disability since February 1, 2017, and now has additional disabilities rated at 50 percent or more.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability, including limitation of extension and flexion, instability, and meniscus condition, is now rated at 20 percent effective March 7, 2020.
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