The Veteran's TDIU and DEA benefits are granted from August 25, 2008. The effective date for TDIU is established based on the earliest claim of service connection for a lumbar spine disability, while the effective date for DEA benefits is set to match the TDIU grant.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment as early as 2002, with the August 25, 2008, effective date for his lumbar spine disability being later than when entitlement to TDIU arose.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with IVDS, right knee total replacement, GERD, status post ventral incisional hernia, painful scar of right knee associated with total knee replacement, right ankle tendonitis, surgical scar of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 17, 2024
- Citation
- A24026220
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 A24026220.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA opinion and a need for further examination.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD is granted, and the appeal to restore a 40% rating for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc other than IVDS, central canal stenosis, and scoliosis prior to June 1, 2024 is dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically failing to obtain an opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his accidental drowning death.
- Granted
The Board has granted an initial disability rating of 10 percent for GERD, effective May 31, 2019. The Veteran's GERD is currently manifested by infrequent episodes of epigastric distress and pyrosis.
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