The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder and degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted entitlement to TDIU from August 22, 2015. However, his claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for right shoulder disability is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder and degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, which preclude him from performing his work duties as a quality manager.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Right Shoulder, Degenerative Disc Disease of the Lumbosacral Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 24, 2021
- Citation
- 21031506
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 21031506.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, left sciatic radicular pain, and headaches. It also granted an initial rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a rating of 30 percent for lipoma of the skin on the back of the head. The claims for increased ratings for right knee strain with shin splints and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome were denied, as was the claim for an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine was not productive of forward flexion to 30 degrees or less, and thus a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is granted a disability rating of 50 percent for his right shoulder disability beginning October 28, 2014. The issues of entitlement to higher ratings prior to and after this date are remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to January 19, 2011. The evidence does not substantiate a reasonable possibility that he is unemployable by reason of his service-connected conditions.
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