The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and his TDIU claim is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has been employed part-time despite his service-connected shoulder disabilities, which does not meet the criteria for a TDIU as he can secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a dislocated left shoulder, impairment of the scapula of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20080379
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 20080379.
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 Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for COPD and residuals of a dislocated left shoulder due to asbestos exposure during service as the Veteran died before a decision could be made.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a need for a new VA examination and consideration of the Veteran's reports regarding an in-service left shoulder injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional records from Dr. R.S.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional service treatment records.
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