The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not rendered him incapable of securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and his claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability is denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the assigned evaluations for the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities adequately reflected his level of occupational and social impairments, but noted that the primary cause of his severe or worsening functional limitations were non-service-connected conditions such as hypertension and dementia.
- Claimed conditions
- basal and squamous cell carcinoma, scars of the face and scalp, scars of the extremities and trunk, depressive disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, pilonidal cyst scar, hypertrophied tonsils
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20075265
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 20075265.
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.
- 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 service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further 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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