The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including cervical spine degenerative joint disease, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right shoulder degenerative joint disease, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, right ankle sprain, and other conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined service-connected disability rating of 80 percent.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are sufficient to render him unemployable without regard to advancing age or the presence of any nonservice-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine degenerative joint disease, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right shoulder degenerative joint disease, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, right ankle sprain, left ankle fracture residuals and degenerative arthritis, bilateral tinnitus, left hearing loss, tympanic membrane perforation residuals, hemorrhoids, erectile dysfunction, right chest and head shell fragment wound residuals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- November 23, 2021
- Citation
- 21070109
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 21070109.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA, but denied increased ratings for various service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and denied increased ratings for right shoulder impingement syndrome, hearing loss, painful scar, patellofemoral pain syndromes of the knees, and other conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
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