The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his combined rating did not meet the schedular criteria and that he was capable of obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support that the Veteran is unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Status post left shoulder superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) repair with residual scarring, Right foot sprain, claimed as right mid foot injury with forefoot pain which radiates to digits 2, 3, and 4, Residual left foot their toe scar status post neuroma excision, Status post nasal fracture with septorhinoplasty and residual left nasal obstruction and right nasal septal deviation
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20081778
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (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 20081778.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to a verified in-service stressor, and the positive and negative medical evidence is at least in equipoise.
- Granted
Your claim for a higher rating and service connection for PTSD has been granted. The new evidence supports reopening your case.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's asthma was rated at 30% from May 4, 2011, to August 27, 2019. The rating was increased to 60% on September 25, 2019, and then to 100% effective that same day.,The Veteran is granted SMC at the housebound rate from December 7, 2018, to September 24, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete service personnel records, which are necessary to determine if the appellant's National Guard service was 'federalized' (i.e., Title 10 or Title 32 service).
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