The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including back and right shoulder conditions, are found to be sufficient to render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board also finds that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for Dependent's Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits as he did not have a permanent total service-connected disability at the time of his claim.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including back and right shoulder conditions, were found to be sufficient to render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment due to their impact on his ability to work. The criteria for Dependent's Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits are not met as the Veteran did not have a permanent total service-connected disability at the time of his claim.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, right shoulder strain with bursitis, right third fingertip amputation, right fourth fingertip amputation, cholecystectomy with scar, tinnitus, dermatophytosis of the feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 9, 2020
- Citation
- A20018212
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 A20018212.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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