The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, citing his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The veteran failed to report for scheduled VA examinations, which is a requirement for rating purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- right thumb disability, postoperative residuals of right knee medial meniscus with degenerative changes, residuals of non-displaced fracture of S5 vertebra
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2002
- Citation
- 0207433
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 0207433.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including gastrointestinal issues, foot problems, ED, hemorrhoids, hernia, hypertension, nerve conditions in the lower extremities, shoulder and thumb issues, except for right ear hearing loss which was granted.
- Granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's right thumb disability and a separate 10 percent rating for his painful right thumb scar.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a new examination to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding the evaluation of the Veteran's right thumb disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for PTSD, major depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder, and cannabis use disorder, lumbosacral strain, right elbow burn scars, pseudofolliculitis barbae, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, low testosterone, and left knee disability. However, service connection was granted for TBI, left forehead scar, and left arm scars.
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