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Whole decision: Denied

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a shell fragment wound, left chest wallet, with fractures of the fifth and sixth ribs are currently evaluated at 10 percent. The Veteran's service-connected keloid scar from the SFW in his left arm is also rated at 10 percent. Both conditions have not met criteria for higher ratings.

The deciding factor: The current evaluations adequately reflect the severity of the Veteran's service-connected residuals, with no evidence of nerve damage, tendon or bone injury, muscle herniation, loss of deep fascia or muscle substance, or significant impairment affecting joint motion.

Claimed conditions
shell fragment wound, left chest wall, fractures of the fifth and sixth ribs
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
December 28, 2009
Citation
0948625

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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0948625.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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