The Board found that the veteran's service medical records are missing and presumed destroyed, making it impossible to establish a link between his current left ring finger disability and military service. The claim for service connection was denied.
The deciding factor: There is no objective evidence of a left ring finger injury in the service medical records, which were possibly destroyed.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a left ring finger injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2004
- Citation
- 0432662
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 0432662.
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 denied an increased rating for the left ear scar and granted a separate 10 percent rating for pain, while denying service connection for several conditions including left hamstring strain.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals because the appellant died while the case was pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that an effective date prior to February 23, 2024 for SMC at the housebound rate is not warranted due to the Veteran's final claims and subsequent rating decisions. The case is remanded for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran needs regular aid and attendance based solely on service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment since December 1, 2020.
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