The Board has granted an effective date of October 15, 2009 for the Veteran's award of a TDIU due to his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. The evidence consistently reflects severe back pain that effectively precluded the Veteran from engaging in activities of daily living and interfering with virtually every aspect of his life.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran was unemployable prior to November 23, 2012 due to his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, which rendered him unable to engage in substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20000654
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 Board denied service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, right and left lower extremity neurological disorders, and right and left hip disabilities as they were not shown to be caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service or a service-connected disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial evaluation of 20 percent for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine prior to December 28, 2010, and denied a rating in excess of 40 percent as of that date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of September 14, 2018, for the award of a 40 percent disability rating for service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine but denied entitlement to TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support a higher disability rating or establish service connection for any of the claimed conditions.
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