The Board has granted a separate initial 10 percent rating for the veteran's post-operative scar on his right ring finger, and a 10 percent rating for his osteomyelitis of the same hand. The veteran is not entitled to higher ratings as there is no evidence of active infection or other manifestations warranting such evaluations.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show active infection within five years prior to the filing of the claim, and the VA examiner found that the veteran's right ring finger scar was tender but did not cause limitation of motion. The criteria for a higher rating under either former or revised Diagnostic Codes were not met.
- Claimed conditions
- osteomyelitis of the right ring finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 17, 2004
- Citation
- 0404443
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 0404443.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for osteomyelitis of the right ring finger was denied as new and material evidence had not been presented. His claim for diabetes mellitus, claimed as due to herbicide exposure, remains pending.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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