The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased evaluation for his right fifth finger disability and for an earlier effective date, as well as his claim for service connection for a kidney disorder with hypertension. The veteran's right little finger disability was found to be rated appropriately based on its current severity, and there is no evidence of pre-service or service-connected etiology for his kidney disorder.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the veteran's right fifth finger disability did not present an exceptional or unusual picture with marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalization, thus preventing application of extraschedular standards. The veteran's claim for earlier effective date was denied as there is no evidence prior to January 7, 2002, of a claim being submitted and it is not factually ascertainable that the disability increased in severity before this date. For his kidney disorder with hypertension, the Board found insufficient evidence linking any disease or injury in service to the veteran's condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-operative tenodesis, right fifth finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2006
- Citation
- 0603031
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,977 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0603031.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Whole decision: 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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