The veteran's service-connected nonspecific synovitis of the left third metacarpal joint is granted a 10 percent evaluation, and his service-connected surgical scar at the web of the left hand is also granted a 10 percent evaluation. The claim for SMC based on loss of use of a finger of the left hand is denied, as the veteran's ability to grasp objects with his left hand is essentially normal.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected nonspecific synovitis and surgical scar are both rated at the maximum allowable under the applicable rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- nonspecific synovitis of the left third metacarpal joint, surgical scar at the web of the left hand, between the index and middle fingers
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 28, 2006
- Citation
- 0612361
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 0612361.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that further development is needed before the claim can be adjudicated, including obtaining additional medical records and arranging for a VA examination to assess the severity of the veteran's service-connected left hand disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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