The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s knee conditions, while limiting, did not prevent him from performing different forms of employment such as office or online customer service jobs where he could sit or stand as needed.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the left knee, Left patella dislocation, Total right knee replacement, Scars associated with total right knee replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20081819
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,030 · Granted: 17% (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 20081819.
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 right and left knee braces caused wear and tear to his clothing in the year of 2021, leading to a decision granting annual clothing allowances for both knee braces.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his bilateral lower extremity conditions and PTSD, resulted in a loss of use of both lower extremities such that he is entitled to specially adapted housing.
- Denied
The Veteran's request for a higher rating for his total right knee replacement and service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support finding an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, total right and left knee replacements, tinnitus, degenerative disc disease with spinal fusion complications, painful middle back scar, and scars of the knees, have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation. A TDIU is granted.
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