The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence showed that the Veteran had painful motion of his left thumb, right and left knee degenerative joint disease with no instability or ankylosis, and left foot pes planus without marked deformity. The residuals of dislocation of the left little finger also caused painful limitation of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Postoperative residuals of left thumb fracture, Degenerative joint disease of right knee, Degenerative joint disease of left knee, Left foot pes planus with old first metatarsal head trauma, Residuals of dislocation of left little finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 6, 2011
- Citation
- 1113579
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 1113579.
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 right shoulder strain with impingement is granted a rating of 20 percent from December 11, 2012. Other service-connected conditions are denied increased ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left shoulder and bilateral knee disabilities due to missing records and inconsistencies in previous examinations.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee conditions are not related to his military service and have denied his claims for service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for obstructive sleep apnea with fatigue, right knee arthritis, left hip arthritis, lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease and cervical spine degenerative disc disease were granted. The effective dates for the right knee and left hip conditions are set at April 14, 2010, while those for the lumbosacral spine and cervical spine conditions are set at August 20, 2010.
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