The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to November 12, 2014 was denied as he had not been rendered unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for DDD of the lumbar spine was also denied. The current effective date is October 7, 2011.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for TDIU prior to November 12, 2014 as he had other service-connected disabilities and his combined rating was less than 70%.,The Veteran's DDD of the lumbar spine manifested with forward flexion greater than 60 degrees but not greater than 85 degrees and a combined range of motion greater than 120 degrees but not greater than 235 degrees, which did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Glaucoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- September 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20060899
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 20060899.
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected glaucoma has rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment on an extra-schedular basis, effective September 1, 2020.
- 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 Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for glaucoma due to inadequate development and reasoning in the previous decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and bilateral hearing loss, do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
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