The claim for an increased (compensable) disability rating for the Veteran's residuals of a right fifth metacarpal fracture was denied based on the Veteran's failure to report for a scheduled VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to report for an October 16, 2008 VA examination concerning his claim for an increased (compensable) disability rating for residuals of a right fifth metacarpal fracture, leading to the denial of the claim based on 38 C.F.R. § 3.655.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a right fifth metacarpal fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2009
- Citation
- 0909347
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,555 · 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 0909347.
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 is granted an annual clothing allowance for the 2014 calendar year due to her use of a back support for her service-connected lumbosacral strain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the impact of her service-connected conditions on her clothing. The AOJ must gather more information and provide a certification as to whether her use of braces causes wear and tear on her clothes.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connected disabilities, which include low back strain, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and residuals of a right fifth metacarpal fracture, all rated at 40 percent combined. The Board finds that the Veteran is unable to engage in substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected sleep apnea contributed to his death, and thus grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
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.