The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his right hand disability, sinusitis with headaches, and deviated nasal septum were denied. The RO assigned a 30 percent evaluation for the service-connected residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right hand, a 30 percent rating for sinusitis with headaches, and no compensable rating for the deviated nasal septum.
The deciding factor: The veteran's disabilities did not meet or approximate the criteria for higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of shell fragment wounds to the second, third, and fourth fingers of the right hand, Sinusitis with sinus headaches, Deviated nasal septum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 7, 2002
- Citation
- 0209348
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 0209348.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted entitlement to TDIU from January 23, 2015 to October 16, 2017 based on the aggregate impact of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities precluding substantially gainful employment. The Board denied service connection for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), finding the evidence persuasively weighs against any relationship to service or service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent rating for sinusitis with sinus headaches and remanded several other issues, including increased ratings for radiculopathy of the lower extremities, degenerative arthritis conditions, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for allergic rhinitis and service connection for a deviated nasal septum.
- Denied
The Veteran's deviated nasal septum does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating as it does not result in 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides or total obstruction on one side.
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