The Board found that the veteran's left hand disability, manifested by a fused carpometacarpal (CMC) joint of the thumb with favorable ankylosis, met the criteria for a 20 percent schedular rating throughout the appeal period.
The deciding factor: The VA examination reports consistently noted the presence and severity of the left hand disability, including its impact on the veteran's ability to perform work-related tasks, particularly in cold weather.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 1, 2003
- Citation
- 0308311
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,177 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0308311.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hand disabilities due to inadequate examination and potential toxic exposure during service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for various orthopedic disabilities, including wrist, hand, finger, knee, and lumbar spine conditions, based on a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for psychiatric disabilities, tobacco use disorder, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, left hand disability, right hand disability, and bilateral hearing loss have all been denied.,Service connection cannot be established as the evidence does not support a current diagnosis of any of these conditions.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for any of the claimed conditions and thus, service connection is denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.