The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantial gainful employment, leading the Board to grant his claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected lumbar and cervical spine conditions, along with associated radiculopathies, have caused significant functional impairment that has prevented him from engaging in substantial, gainful activity since at least 1991.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar degenerative arthritis with spondylosis and degenerative disc disease, cervical spine degenerative arthritis with degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome with spondylosis and discogenic disease, radiculopathy, right upper extremity (all radicular groups, major hand), raticulopathy, left upper extremity (all radicular groups, minor hand), raticulopathy, right lower extremity (sciatic nerve), raticulopathy, left lower extremity (sciatic nerve)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 1, 2023
- Citation
- 23063738
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 23063738.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, finding no legal merit in his arguments.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (femoral and sciatic nerves) are being remanded due to a lack of a VA examination and outstanding medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional evidence, including Social Security Administration (SSA) records and updated VA and non-VA medical records.
- 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.
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