The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's chronic back pain and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy limit his ability to perform sedentary work, necessitating an award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with degenerative changes, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20065824
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for initial ratings higher than the assigned percentages for service-connected conditions, including migraine headaches, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbosacral strain, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance, SMC at the M level based on loss of use of the lower extremities, and SMC at the O level based on the award of SMC L and SMC M. The claim for SMC based on housebound status was dismissed as moot.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for lumbosacral strain with degenerative changes, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a back disability and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sinusitis, bilateral hand tremors, and bilateral restless leg syndrome. The Board also granted an increased rating of 50 percent for obstructive sleep apnea.
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