The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and he is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's service-connected conditions significantly impair his ability to work in both physical and sedentary occupations due to pain, functional loss, and medication side effects.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine with intervertebral disc syndrome with bulging discs, Acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, right, Radiculopathy, left lower extremity (sciatic), Radiculopathy, right lower extremity (sciatic), Pseudofolliculitis barbae, Obstructive sleep apnea associated with intervertebral disc syndrome with bulging disks, Left knee chondromalacia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- February 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25015652
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,017 · Granted: 36% (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 A25015652.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a higher evaluation rating of 70 percent for PTSD with an effective date of January 30, 2020.,The Veteran's radiculopathy, right lower extremity (sciatic) and left lower extremity (sciatic), are both granted service connection with effective dates of January 30, 2020.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder is denied as the symptoms do not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae is denied as the condition affects less than 5% of his exposed and total body area.
- Denied
The Veteran's need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities has not been established, as he can use assistive devices to dress himself and maintain cleanliness of appearance.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted from September 1, 2008 to May 20, 2015 due to his service-connected disabilities making him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.
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