The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including sleep apnea and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, are found to be of such severity that they preclude his ability to maintain substantially gainful employment. The TDIU rating is granted. However, the issue of a higher rating for the back disability remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities result in physical limitations incompatible with any regular substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work experience as a commissary manager.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, vocal cord lesion, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, tinnitus, hypertension, hearing loss, right thumb laceration
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21039717
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21039717.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
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