The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation as he was continually employed full-time, his earnings were above the poverty threshold, and he was not employed in a protected environment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had been working full-time until June 19, 2015, when he retired due to multiple disabilities that affected his job performance.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder, degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, cervical radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, right knee chondromalacia, left knee chondromalacia, hypertension, tinnitus, tailbone disability, pilonidal cyst and tinea versicolor, mild right ventricular and bi-atrial enlargement, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 7, 2022
- Citation
- 22067500
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 22067500.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- 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.
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