The veteran's service-connected postoperative gastrectomy and vagotomy for duodenal ulcer is rated at 20 percent, but the Board has determined that a higher rating of 40 percent is warranted based on moderate severity with symptoms such as mild circulatory symptoms after meals, weight loss, and chronic iron deficiency.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the veteran's disability picture more closely approximates the criteria for a 40 percent evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7308 (moderate postgastrectomy syndrome with less frequent episodes of epigastric disorders with characteristic mild circulatory symptoms after meals but with diarrhea and weight loss).
- Claimed conditions
- postoperative gastrectomy and vagotomy for duodenal ulcer, iron deficiency anemia, gastric bezoar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 19, 2005
- Citation
- 0501546
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,599 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0501546.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions of tinnitus, insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome, hypertension, and iron deficiency anemia as there is no evidence of any complaints, treatment, or diagnosis in service or after service.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial compensable rating for hypertension was denied.,Service connection for a bone density disability, iron deficiency anemia, IBS, migraines, sleep apnea, left shoulder disability, and right shoulder disability were all denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, iron deficiency anemia, and urinary incontinence. The claims of gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome are being remanded.,New evidence received since the last rating decision warrants readjudication of the claims for gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
- Granted
The Veteran's iron deficiency anemia is rated at 30 percent, the highest available rating under the applicable VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (Rating Schedule). The Board found that the Veteran required intravenous iron infusions 4 or more times per 12 month period.
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