The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not meet the percentage requirements for a schedular TDIU, and there is no evidence of an extraschedular TDIU.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s combined rating from his service-connected disabilities does not meet the 60% or more threshold required by VA regulations for a schedular TDIU. The Board also found that the Veteran's education, training, skills, and work history do not indicate he is precluded from all forms of substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, Residuals of cervical laminectomy, Left knee injury, degenerative joint disease, Right carpal tunnel syndrome, Left carpal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20081663
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (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 20081663.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's back disability is rated at 40 percent prior to January 13, 2022. Effective March 18, 2020, the Veteran is granted TDIU.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for right carpal tunnel syndrome is denied as the award was granted in a separate claim filed after the initial increase rating appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of May 26, 2011 for a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis.,The Veteran is also granted an effective date of May 26, 2011 for eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received for the Veteran's claims of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine and obstructive sleep apnea. As a result, these claims are being remanded to allow for further review.
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