The Board has granted an effective date of January 1, 2004 for the grant of a TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities making him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since that date.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that by 2004, the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities made him unemployable, and his earnings were not below the poverty threshold every year. The Board accepted Dr. W.'s and Ms. E.'s opinions that his service-connected disabilities caused sufficient impairment to make him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Right-sided radiculopathy, Superficial scars, status post repair of umbilical hernia, Left ear tinnitus, Left ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- August 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20054771
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 20054771.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a compensable (10%) disability rating at any point during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and service connection for left ear hearing loss due to inadequate audiometric examinations. The Veteran will be scheduled for new VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his left ear hearing loss and the severity of his hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there is a need for additional medical examination and opinion to address the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, including DDD of the lumbar spine. The current VA opinions are deemed inadequate due to their failure to consider the Veteran's lay reports of in-service injury and continuous symptomatology since service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's liver disability has not resulted in any compensable symptoms, as he had a previous history of liver disease but is currently asymptomatic.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has been rated at noncompensable level due to the absence of more than Level I hearing acuity.
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