The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea with COPD and irritable bowel syndrome, have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s service-connected disabilities, particularly his lumbar spine and right shoulder conditions, significantly impacted his ability to perform the physical demands of his previous job as a housekeeper.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with spastic colitis, gastritis, chronic enteritis, distal esophagitis, and partial hemicolectomy of the ascending colon, degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, internal and external hemorrhoids, chronic upper respiratory infection (URI) with allergic rhinitis, fungus of toenails with tinea pedis, right acromioclavicular (AC) joint degenerative arthritis, tendonitis of the right wrist, right ankle sprain residuals, painful scars secondary to stomach surgery
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- December 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19191957
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,020 · Granted: 19% (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 19191957.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for high cholesterol is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is also denied because the evidence does not show the presence of a current disability that meets the definition of a hearing loss disability under VA regulations.,The Veteran's vertigo has been granted service connection, with the Board finding it plausible that his symptoms began during service and have continued since then.,Service connection for allergic rhinitis is granted but an increased rating beyond 10 percent is denied as there are no polyps present. The current disability more nearly approximates a 10 percent rating based on hypertrophy of the nasal turbinates.,The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for tendonitis of the right and left wrists remains denied, with the Board finding that the evidence does not support ankylosis or loss of use of the hands.,The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for tendonitis of the right and left wrists remains denied, with the Board finding that the evidence does not support ankylosis or loss of use of the hands.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a labral tear and cartilage defect of the left shoulder, DDD of the lumbar spine, and SI joint dysfunction due to the Veteran's service-connected low back disability. The decision is based on the current disabilities being causally related to injuries sustained during service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a bilateral hip disorder, manifested by pain and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine. The claim for a hand disorder was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy, but denied increased ratings for intervertebral disc syndrome and other conditions.
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