The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development regarding his claim of entitlement to a total disability based upon individual unemployability (TDIU). His service-connected lumbar spine disability has resulted in a 40 percent rating since November 10, 2020. The TDIU claim will be evaluated considering the Veteran's bilateral hand conditions and tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The Veteran is unable to perform jobs that require any amount of lifting due to his service-connected disabilities, including his lumbar spine disability, bilateral hand conditions, and tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine, Tinnitus, Bilateral Abnormal Vasomotor Function of Both Hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21073435
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 21073435.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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