The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, as she has maintained employment throughout the appeal period.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are already compensated for by her combined 90 percent disability rating, which does not prevent her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with her education, skills, training, and work history.
- Claimed conditions
- posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with major depressive disorder, migraine headaches, right shoulder impingement syndrome status post arthroscopy, left elbow lateral epicondylitis, chondromalacia patella right knee, sinusitis, left lower venous insufficiency with chronic nonocclusive deep vein thrombosis, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease with wedging and strain, costochondritis, asthma, scars right upper extremity, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- February 3, 2024
- Citation
- 24005755
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 24005755.
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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Denied
The Veteran's respiratory disability, including asthma and COPD, is denied as service connection is not warranted due to the condition being solely attributed to smoking.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to incomplete medical records and insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between service, including a stick injury in England, and current left eye disability (including amblyopia and cataracts) as well as migraine headaches.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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