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Whole decision: Denied

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a chronic right hand disability and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection. The issue of residuals of a left shin bone contusion remains pending, with an inadequate VA examination in November 2007.

The deciding factor: The November 2007 VA examiner did not clearly distinguish between the acute injury and any residual disability that may have developed.

Claimed conditions
Right hand disability (right fifth metacarpal arthralgia), Left shin bone contusion
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
January 31, 2012
Citation
1203410

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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1203410.

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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