The VA determined that the veteran's avascular necrosis of the right thumb does not warrant a rating higher than 20 percent, as it only manifests pain and limitation of motion.
The deciding factor: The disability is currently rated at its maximum under Diagnostic Codes 5224 and 5228 due to the presence of pain and limited range of motion without ankylosis or amputation.
- Claimed conditions
- Avascular necrosis of the first metacarpal, right thumb
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 29, 2006
- Citation
- 0640115
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 0640115.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, left knee, right thumb, left thumb, and cervical spine conditions due to a lack of evidence showing these disabilities began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a compensable disability rating for dequervain’s tenosynovitis, right thumb was dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal in February 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the veteran's right hand conditions. The issues on appeal include compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for residuals of right thumb surgery, increased evaluations for traumatic arthritis and burn scars, and a temporary total rating based on convalescence from right hand surgery.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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