The Veteran's appeal for TDIU, DEA benefits, and SMC prior to October 2, 2017 was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability during this period due to his service-connected disabilities. The Veteran also did not have a permanent total service-connected disability in effect prior to October 2, 2017. Effective April 19, 2021, but no earlier, the Veteran was granted SMC benefits based on individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's combined disability rating did not meet the schedular criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability during the period prior to October 2, 2017 due to his service-connected disabilities. The Board found that the Veteran was capable of performing sedentary or light employment consistent with his past occupational history and educational attainment.
- Claimed conditions
- migraine headaches, right shoulder disability, low back disability, right foot disability, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), right lower extremity radiculopathy, right hand Dupuytren's contracture, right shoulder scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2024
- Citation
- A24063728
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A24063728.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- 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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
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