The veteran's claim for a total rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
The deciding factor: The veteran did not report for a scheduled VA medical examination, which resulted in his TDIU claim being denied as a matter of law.
- Claimed conditions
- shell fragment wound injuries to the joints, muscles, bones, and nerves of the right shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand, amputation of the index, middle, and ring fingers of the right hand at the mid-portion of the metacarpals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 9, 2003
- Citation
- 0323263
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 0323263.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The veteran's claim for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is denied as he failed to report for the scheduled VA medical examination.
- Denied
The veteran's service-connected right arm and hand disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or retaining gainful employment.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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