The veteran's claims for increased ratings, special monthly compensation, and reopening his low back disability claim were denied. The RO found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or new and material evidence.
The deciding factor: The VA examination showed no significant tissue loss, nail abnormalities, color changes, hyperhidrosis, or X-ray abnormalities in the hands, which limited the potential for a higher rating. The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him helpless as he can care for himself without assistance.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of cold injury to each hand, neuropathy with paresthesias
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 24, 2005
- Citation
- 0501626
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,012 · 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 0501626.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- 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.
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- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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