The Board denied the Veteran's claim for VR&E services due to his service-connected disabilities not meeting the threshold requirements of having an employment handicap, despite his master’s degree and over 20 years of experience in healthcare.
The deciding factor: The Veterans Law Judge found that the Veteran did not have an employment handicap as determined by a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC), who concluded he had overcome his impairment to employability through his education and training in healthcare.
- Claimed conditions
- posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obstructive sleep apnea, rotator cuff tendonitis and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis of the left shoulder, left elbow strain manifested by limitation of flexion of the forearm, left elbow disability manifested by impairment of supination and pronation, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, tinnitus, varicose veins of the left lower extremity, varicose veins of the right lower extremity, cervical/neck strain, right ear hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, erectile dysfunction, eczema of the hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20064883
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,757 · 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 20064883.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA 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.
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