The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, alone, were not of sufficient severity to render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment. Therefore, TDIU was denied.
The deciding factor: VA examiners noted that while the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities might render him unable to perform certain types of labor, they did not show he is rendered unable to physically or mentally obtain or follow substantially gainful employment as a result of his service-connected disabilities alone.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep disorder associated with the strain of the thoracolumbar spine, migraine headaches, strain of the thoracolumbar spine, retropatellar pain syndrome of the right knee, retropatellar pain syndrome of the left knee, degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, residuals status post trauma to index right finger, bilateral hearing loss, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- June 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20040090
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 20040090.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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