The Board denied service connection for the residuals of frostbite and amputation of the middle finger of the right hand as they were not shown to be causally related to the veteran's period of active military service.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the current disabilities manifested by residuals of frostbite and amputation of the middle finger of the right hand were caused or aggravated by an injury, disease, or event in service. There was no documentation of cold injury during service or treatment thereof, and the x-rays taken in service showed no abnormalities.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of frostbite, Residuals of amputation of the middle finger of the right hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2009
- Citation
- 0904238
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 0904238.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder, is granted. The issue of service connection for residuals of frostbite is remanded and the Veteran must be afforded a VA examination to determine if his current condition is related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, inflamed chest, and residuals of frostbite due to inadequate compliance with prior remand directives. The Veteran was not properly notified of her scheduled VA examinations and may have been experiencing homelessness at the time of these exams.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, including residuals of frostbite and peripheral neuropathy, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability and residuals of frostbite, finding that there was no evidence to support these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.