The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board granted TDIU on the basis of substitution.
The deciding factor: The combined effects of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities limited his ability to maintain substantially gainful employment, particularly after he stopped working in approximately 2020.
- Claimed conditions
- ischemic heart disease, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), shrapnel fragment wounds to muscle group XII with tender scar, laceration of esophagus and liver damage, post operative residuals of shrapnel fragment wounds to muscle group XIX, history of retained foreign body in left lung base
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- January 5, 2026
- Citation
- 26000051
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 26000051.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is granted as presumptively related to his service in the Gulf War, specifically aboard the USS Chanticleer and USS Mataco.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a heart disability prior to his death is granted as he was entitled to accrued benefits due to the September 1994 claim, which included ischemic heart disease, a covered herbicide disease.
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