The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted due to his service-connected disabilities, which include coronary artery disease and diabetic retinopathy, making it impossible for him to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's moderate retinopathy does not significantly impact his ability to function but he has an incapacitating condition from receiving regular shots in his eyes that leads to time off work. His physical labor jobs are no longer feasible due to his coronary artery disease, and he lacks job skills for sedentary positions.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic retinopathy, coronary artery disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, benign growths of the skin, left knee disability, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, moderate retinopathy of the bilateral eyes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- October 14, 2021
- Citation
- A21016732
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 A21016732.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
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