The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and traumatic arthritis of the cervical spine with tension headaches, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted TDIU based on these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from performing work that involves prolonged sitting, standing, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, and walking for sustained periods.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, Traumatic arthritis of the cervical spine with tension headaches, Minor degenerative changes right shoulder, Moderate degenerative changes left shoulder associated with degenerative changes right shoulder, Chronic left ankle strain, Relaxed ligaments of the right ankle, Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19187722
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 19187722.
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.
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- Denied
The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
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