The Board has determined that the Veteran's left thumb scarring is a residual of a shell fragment wound sustained during service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner linked the current left thumb scars to the Veteran's credible report of sustaining a shrapnel fragment wound in service.
- Claimed conditions
- scarring of the left thumb
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 25, 2009
- Citation
- 0945046
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 0945046.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's disability rating for scarring of the left thumb is granted at a 10 percent level. The Veteran's trigger fingers of the left hand are not entitled to an increased rating. A combined disability rating of 40 percent for his back disability from August 26, 2018 to March 6, 2022 is granted. However, the Veteran's claim for a higher rating after March 7, 2022 is denied.
- 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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