The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities as of September 27, 2016. The Veteran’s service-connected conditions did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found the Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone were insufficient to render him incapable of performing the physical and mental acts required by employment consistent with his education and work history.
- Claimed conditions
- panic disorder, subluxation of right shoulder, subluxation of left shoulder, left knee patellofemoral syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- January 25, 2021
- Citation
- 21004062
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 21004062.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee disability, finding that it is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected back and sciatica disabilities. The evidence did not support a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The lumbar spine disability has also been granted but the effective date is not specified.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to pre-decisional errors in obtaining medical opinions and private treatment records, which are necessary for a proper determination of service connection for panic disorder.
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