The Board has determined that the veteran's injury to his right thumb, sustained on July 9, 1992, was not incurred in the line of duty but resulted from his own willful misconduct. Therefore, service connection for residuals of a fracture of the right thumb is denied.
The deciding factor: The military personnel found that the veteran engaged in willful misconduct at the time of the incident and concluded that this conscious wrongdoing was the proximate cause of the injury to his right thumb.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a fracture of the right thumb
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 11, 2002
- Citation
- 0207680
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0207680.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including fractures of the wrists and ankles, a foot disorder, hypertension, lacerations to fingers and palms, and a skin condition. The decision states that there is no current evidence of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted a TDIU based on this.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn for all issues related to his service-connected left shoulder, right thumb, and left thumb disabilities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claim can be evaluated, including obtaining treatment records and a supplemental opinion from the Veteran's compensation and pension examiner.
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