The Veteran was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities, which rendered him unemployable. His TDIU claim for substitution purposes is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected low back and left hip disabilities significantly impacted his ability to work, leading to an inability to maintain substantial gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the left hip, degenerative disc disease at L4-L5, degenerative changes, right shoulder, ganglion cyst with degenerative changes, right first metacarpal, degenerative changes, right knee, cataract, left eye
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20080461
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,810 · 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 20080461.
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 Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the November 2024 VA examination, where the examiner did not consider the effects of medication on his left hip disability. The case will be readjudicated after obtaining an opinion regarding the severity of the condition without considering the ameliorative effects of medications.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and notification issues. The AOJ must obtain addendum medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran's back, hip, and leg disabilities are directly related to his active service or secondary to a previously service-connected condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of both hips and obstructive sleep apnea due to a need for further evidentiary development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for major depressive disorder, recurrent, moderate, with panic disorder and service connection for cataract, left eye. The hypertension claim was remanded.
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