The Veteran's service-connected knee and back disabilities limited her ability to work, but she was able to retire from her job as a respiratory therapist. The Board denied TDIU because the evidence did not show that her service-connected conditions rendered her incapable of participating in any substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran retired from her job due to non-service connected reasons and her service-connected disabilities did not prevent her from working.
- Claimed conditions
- Left knee limited extension, Right knee limited extension, Left knee instability, Right knee instability, L5 compression fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2022
- Citation
- 22001821
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 22001821.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability, including limitation of extension and flexion, instability, and meniscus condition, is now rated at 20 percent effective March 7, 2020.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability, including limitation of extension and flexion, instability, and meniscus condition, is now rated at 20 percent effective March 7, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the aggravation of a preexisting right knee condition during service. The Veteran's right knee condition was noted prior to service, and the VA examiner concluded it did not worsen beyond its natural progression.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of June 17, 2010 for service connection and separate ratings for right knee instability and left knee instability.
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