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Whole decision: Denied

The veteran's disabilities, including deep venous thrombosis of the left leg and a scar on his forehead, do not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes as they are not severe enough to prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The deciding factor: The combined disability rating is 20 percent, which does not meet the percentage requirements for a permanent and total disability rating under applicable schedular criteria.

Claimed conditions
Deep venous thrombosis of the left leg, Scar of the forehead
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
May 17, 2002
Citation
0204685

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 0204685.

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.

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