The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment from May 21, 2009, until October 18, 2013.
The deciding factor: The Veteran experienced significant impairment in his ability to perform work due to his service-connected disabilities, particularly his chronic headaches, cervical spine strain, thoracolumbar spine strain, left shoulder arthritis, right knee pain, and tinnitus. These conditions made it difficult for him to maintain employment, especially in physically demanding jobs.
- Claimed conditions
- bronchitis, chronic headaches, cervical spine strain, thoracolumbar spine strain, left shoulder AC joint separation with arthritis, right knee retropatellar pain syndrome, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21015509
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 21015509.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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