The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment, as his combined disability ratings already contemplate significant impairment in earning capacity and loss of working time.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s service-connected disabilities limit his ability to lift, carry, push, or pull heavy loads but can perform work that does not require such activity, including his prior job in data entry.
- Claimed conditions
- left upper extremity disabilities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- April 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20023319
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 20023319.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a neck disability and left upper extremity disabilities based on evidence of continuity of symptomatology.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and left upper extremity disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of October 1, 2009. Effective from that date, he is granted TDIU (Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability) and eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.