The Board found no probative evidence of a right thumb injury or disorder in service, or of arthritis in the right thumb within one year after service or for many years thereafter. The Veteran's current right thumb arthritis was not incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: There is no probative evidence of a right thumb injury or disorder in service, or of arthritis in the right thumb within one year after service or for many years thereafter, and there is no competent and credible evidence of a link between the Veteran's current right thumb arthritis and his period of active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Thumb Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2010
- Citation
- 1005156
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 1005156.
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 Veteran's right thumb arthritis is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board found no evidence of a gap greater than two inches between the thumb pad and fingers, with the thumb attempting to oppose the fingers. Therefore, an increased rating beyond 10 percent is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to the need for a VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected right hand thumb and finger disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's TBI, headaches, GERD, and right thumb arthritis are granted. The lower extremity radiculopathy claims are remanded for further examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's right thumb and little finger disabilities are rated at a 10 percent disability rating, effective March 22, 2013. The Veteran is granted a higher rating for the right thumb but denied for the right little finger.
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