The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment, thus the claim for TDIU is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran voluntarily retired after 24 years of service in air traffic control. His service-connected disabilities are productive of some degree of disability but do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- cluster headaches, right shoulder degenerative joint disease with bicipital and rotator cuff tendonitis, labral tear, acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and glenohumeral joint dislocation, left shoulder separation and degenerative joint disease status post fracture with glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, left knee Osgood-Schlatter disease, right knee Osgood-Schlatter disease, rhinitis with sinusitis, tinnitus, right little finger status post fracture, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- October 23, 2020
- Citation
- A20015953
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (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 A20015953.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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