The Board granted an earlier effective date of September 14, 2018, for the award of a 40 percent disability rating for service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine but denied entitlement to TDIU.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not demonstrate that the Veteran's disabilities alone were of such nature and severity to preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, Coronary artery disease, Tinnitus, Hypertension, Lateral epicondylitis of the right elbow (limitation of flexion and supination), Bilateral hearing loss, Hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25090346
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (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 A25090346.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his low back disability is being remanded due to the reduction in evaluation from 40 percent to 20 percent effective May 31, 2014. The RO needs to provide updated VA treatment records and schedule a VA examination to determine the current severity of the disability.
- Denied
The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
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