The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and TDIU was denied as the evidence did not show that his service-connected back disability prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The combined rating of all service-connected disabilities (40% for back disability, 10% for right knee disability, 0% for hypertension, and 0% for surgical scar) did not meet the minimum percentage requirements for consideration of TDIU. The VA examiners found that the Veteran could perform medium work despite his disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Back Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- February 11, 2021
- Citation
- 21008152
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 21008152.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA rating decision denying service connection for a right knee disability and a back disability is not supported by adequate medical opinions, and thus remands the case for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection of a left knee disability, back disability, and left elbow disability must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran provided lay reports of symptoms but the VA examiners did not consider these reports in their conclusions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right eye, left eye, left knee, and back disabilities due to conflicting statements from the Veteran and inconsistencies in his medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and that the current condition is not related to service.
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