The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, alone, were not of sufficient severity to render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment. Therefore, TDIU was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not demonstrate that the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities alone rendered him unemployable due to his non-service-connected deep vein thrombosis and long-term substance abuse history.
- Claimed conditions
- hiatal hernia with ulcerative colitis, right inguinal hernia, residual scar status post gastric mass associated with hiatal hernia, ulcerative colitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- January 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20002569
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 20002569.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a colon condition, including as caused by herbicide agent exposure or secondary to his service-connected disabilities, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection on any basis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress and service connection for ulcerative colitis are being remanded due to the failure to obtain relevant medical records.
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