Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, which include residuals of cold injury to both feet and malnutrition, do not render him unemployable considering his educational and occupational background. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not demonstrate he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected disabilities alone, when considered in association with his educational attainment and occupational background, do not render him unemployable.

Claimed conditions
residuals of cold injury of the right foot, residuals of cold injury of the left foot, malnutrition
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
60%
Decision date
February 10, 2005
Citation
0503512

Veterans Law Judge

DEREK R. BROWN

Decisions by this judge: 1,987 · Granted: 15% (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 0503512.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.