The Board denied the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that although the veteran had significant service-connected disabilities, they did not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantial gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Defective hearing, Anxiety neurosis, Postoperative otitis media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- July 30, 2004
- Citation
- 0420984
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 0420984.
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 Board denied service connection for anxiety neurosis and personality disorder on a direct basis, finding no relationship between the current condition and the nonratable personality disorder diagnosed during service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including defective hearing and shell fragment wounds, make it impossible for him to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining audiogram results from VA treatment records.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected conditions.
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