The Board found that the October 3, 1978 and March 13, 1979 rating decisions denying a total disability rating based on individual unemployability were not clearly and unmistakably erroneous.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the veteran was precluded from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Coronary arteriosclerotic disease with angina, Diabetes mellitus, Degenerative disc disease of cervical spine at C-7, Degenerative disc disease of lumbar spine at L5/S1, Hiatal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2002
- Citation
- 0200862
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0200862.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of ambulance travel expenses incurred on June 17, 2025 due to an emergency heart attack. The ambulance service was provided by a volunteer organization and later intercepted by a higher-tier EMT company.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's GERD with hiatal hernia and dysphagia, finding that there was no documented history of esophageal stricture requiring daily medications to control dysphagia.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his service-connected GERD and hiatal hernia status post Nissen fundoplication is being remanded due to the need for a retrospective medical opinion regarding the severity of his symptoms at the time of the March 2021 VA examination.
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