The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain or maintain a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted his claim for TDIU.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have significantly impaired his ability to work due to chronic pain and functional limitations caused by his back disability, which prevented him from engaging in routine activities and performing basic tasks required for his previous employment as an aircraft mechanic or electrician.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea, lumbar disc disease, tinnitus, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (sciatic nerve), radiculopathy of the right lower extremity (femoral nerve), bilateral hearing loss, residuals of a perforated left eardrum, GERD, a residual scar of a right scrotal epididymectomy, hypertension, lumbar fusion scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- January 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20000766
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (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 20000766.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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