The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history prior to July 24, 2017. Therefore, entitlement to a TDIU prior to that date is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected back disability with associated radiculopathy of the right lower extremity limited him to sedentary employment but did not preclude all forms of employment due to his education and work history in office-type settings.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease with herniated disc disease, Lumbosacral radiculopathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2023
- Citation
- 23044070
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 23044070.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The veteran's service-connected disabilities are not shown to be of such nature and severity as to preclude the performance of all types of substantially gainful employment, thus denying a total evaluation based on individual unemployability.
- Whole decision: Denied
The veteran's claim for higher initial ratings for his low back disability and associated radiculopathy was denied by the RO, with a final rating of 40 percent assigned as of September 23, 2002.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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