The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, as his education and occupational experience are sufficient to allow for transferable skills.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has a broad background with transferrable skills that allows him to maintain employment despite his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic thoracolumbar strain, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), residuals of second metacarpal fracture of the right hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- July 27, 2022
- Citation
- 22042687
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 22042687.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for chronic left ankle sprain, right ankle strain, and thoracolumbar strain are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors in the prior examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence to support direct service connection or any other theory of entitlement.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on a direct basis, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his in-service exposure to burn pits and other environmental toxins during his Southwest Asia service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis as there was no evidence of a current disability.
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