The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to December 9, 2016 due to lack of evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The Board found that prior to December 2016, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not reach the level where they prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation based on his education and work history.
- Claimed conditions
- muscle injuries from a gunshot wound to the torso, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), left nephrectomy, type II diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, scars on the abdomen and the right eye area, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20006026
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (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 20006026.
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.
- 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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