The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to July 18, 2002 for the grant of service connection for residuals of a right thumb injury as no formal or informal claim was submitted before that date.
The deciding factor: No written communication of record within one year prior to July 18, 2002 could be considered an informal claim for benefits which would warrant an effective date for service connection for the residuals of a right thumb injury prior to July 18, 2002.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a right thumb injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2005
- Citation
- 0501268
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,293 · Granted: 17% (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 0501268.
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.
- Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of your appeal. The Board cannot issue a decision on the underlying claim(s) at this time.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a right thumb injury, a right wrist disability, and a left knee disability. The decisions are based on the Veteran's reported in-service injuries and current diagnoses.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical records and a need for an examination of the Veteran's right thumb residuals. The claim will be reconsidered after these actions are completed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development on issues related to a higher rating for right thumb injuries and TDIU. The Veteran's employment history is unclear, and his Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits claim records are needed.
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