The veteran's service-connected duodenal ulcer disease does not render him unemployable due to the severity of his symptoms, as evidenced by a VA examination that found minimal impact on employability. The evidence shows he is capable of engaging in substantially gainful employment despite his physical restrictions.
The deciding factor: The veteran's educational background and current occupation do not preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected duodenal ulcer disease.
- Claimed conditions
- duodenal ulcer disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2003
- Citation
- 0324003
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 0324003.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions on whether the inguinal hernia is related to service or if it was aggravated by a pre-existing duodenal ulcer disease.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected duodenal ulcer disease and incisional abdominal hernia prevented him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment for the period prior to December 16, 2016. The Board granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to the combined effect of his disabilities.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for a higher disability rating in excess of 60 percent and an earlier effective date prior to May 13, 2013, were dismissed as the Veteran did not have any pending claims at the time of his death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied a higher rating for duodenal ulcer disease and a compensable rating for prostatitis, finding that the Veteran's conditions do not meet the criteria for these ratings based on the evidence of record.
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