The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's shell fragment wound residuals of the right thigh, currently evaluated at 30 percent.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show severe impairment of muscle group XIII, and the scar was painful but not manifest by severe impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- shell fragment wound residuals of the right thigh, gunshot wound scar of the right lower lateral leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 31, 2005
- Citation
- 0502242
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 332 · Granted: 14% (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 0502242.
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
The Board has dismissed all issues related to service connection for PTSD and ratings for shell fragment wound residuals of the left and right thighs. The Veteran's claim for PTSD was granted in full, and the claims for increased ratings were previously adjudicated by the Board.
- Denied
The Veteran's combined service-connected disability rating is 100%, but he does not have a single permanent disability rated at 100%. Therefore, he lacks legal ground to establish special monthly compensation based on housebound status.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected shell fragment wound residuals of the right thigh, finding that the injury is moderate in nature.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's shell fragment wound residuals of the right thigh, with numbness and paresthesias, warrant a 20 percent rating. Additionally, the degenerative joint disease of the right knee is separately rated at 10 percent.
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