The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to November 11, 2020, warranting a total rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in equipoise as to whether the service-connected disabilities rendered the Veteran unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to November 11, 2020, and the Board resolved all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- Other specified trauma and stressor disorder, Coronary artery disease status post stent, Type II diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, Obstructive sleep apnea, Left knee osteoarthritis, Right knee osteoarthritis s/p patella replacement, Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25025269
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 claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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