The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to November 29, 2016 for the grant of TDIU. The evidence did not show that the Veteran was unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation solely due to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence showed that the Veteran's unemployability was primarily caused by cardiac arrest and heart residuals, rather than his service-connected lumbar spine disability and residual radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- March 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21013171
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 21013171.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 40% prior to September 28, 2018. From that date, the rating was increased to 50%. The earlier effective date for TDIU is denied.
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