The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his right hand and leg injuries, preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment. Therefore, it granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including those of the right hand and leg, resulted in industrial impairment that prevented him from performing manual labor or other forms of work he had previously engaged in.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of injury to index and ring fingers, right hand, residuals of injury to the right leg, neurologic residuals of shell fragments to the right arm, residuals of wounds to stomach, chest, small intestines, colon and liver with closed colostomy, residuals of fragment wounds to face, residuals of fragment wounds to the arms and left leg, fracture of the right middle tibia, Hepatitis C
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- June 17, 2004
- Citation
- 0415630
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 0415630.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis, Barrett's esophagus, and obstructive sleep apnea but dismissed the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new VA addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's liver cancer and hepatitis C are related to his active service, including exposure to agent orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, with effective dates from March 15, 2013. The Board also granted a TDIU and DEA based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and hepatitis C as there was no evidence of functional impairment sufficient to warrant a higher rating.
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