The Board found that the veteran does not have a left hand disability other than a scar about the index finger, and denied service connection for any other left hand condition. The skin disorder claim is pending further development.
The deciding factor: The VA orthopedist's opinion was against the veteran's contention of arthritis related to the inservice laceration injury, and the Board assigned greater probative weight to this opinion than Dr. Martin's based on their expertise and review of the medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand disability, skin disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 14, 2000
- Citation
- 0003835
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 0003835.
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.
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- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied, except for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability which were granted. The veteran was also granted service connection for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded claims for chronic low back pain, upper back pain, right hand disability, left hand disability, headaches, and right knee disability.
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