The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his employment as a chaplain/civil servant with the U.S. Army, and he has not provided sufficient information regarding his current employment status.
The deciding factor: The Veteran is employed as a civil servant in the U.S. Army and does not meet the criteria for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities alone.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus type II, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, right knee osteoarthritis (claimed as tendonitis), left knee osteoarthritis (claimed as tendonitis), tinnitus, right wrist carpal tunnel, carpal tunnel left wrist, left foot plantar spurs, right foot plantar spurs, right elbow lateral epicondylitis, left elbow lateral epicondylitis, residuals of tendon injury to fifth finger of right hand, left ear hearing loss, unilateral carotid artery stenosis, hypertension, surgical scars from lumbar spine surgery
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 16, 2022
- Citation
- 22046456
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 22046456.
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 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
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