The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 22, 2021.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had stable employment and earnings above the poverty threshold before July 2019. His service-connected conditions were managed conservatively without requiring urgent or inpatient care during the relevant period.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, headaches, bilateral pes planus, unspecified anxiety disorder, status post right ankle fracture, epilepsy, tinnitus, left knee patellar chondromalacia, right knee patellar chondromalacia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- November 2, 2022
- Citation
- 22061624
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 22061624.
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 remands the claim for a direct service connection opinion and an adequate secondary service connection aggravation opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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