The veteran is granted an effective date of November 1, 2008 for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since November 1, 2008.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea/sleep hypopnea syndrome, unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress (previously rated as generalized anxiety disorder and major depression), lumbar disc bulge L4/L5 and Schmorl's Node T11-L12, tinnitus, hepatitis C with Grade I inflammation and Grade II fibrosis, degenerative joint disease of uncovertebral joints and degenerative disc disease at C5-6 and C6-7, right triquetrum fracture, high frequency sensorineural hearing loss, left ear, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, headache syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2025
- Citation
- A25005865
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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 A25005865.
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 remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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