The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has been employed full-time since July 2017 and his employment is considered substantially gainful.
- Claimed conditions
- MDD (Major Depressive Disorder), Traumatic Arthritis of the Right Knee, Right Total Knee Arthroplasty, Right Knee Scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- December 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19193284
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 19193284.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective February 19, 2015.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's adjustment disorder, knee strains, and instabilities, granted a 10 percent rating for a right knee scar, and denied earlier effective dates for various benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development, including obtaining a retrospective opinion from the VA examiner regarding the extent of additional functional loss or limitation of motion experienced during flare-ups of pain and in terms of active and passive range of motion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examination. The issues include determining whether he can secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, and obtaining updated VA treatment records.
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