The Board has determined that higher ratings for the Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not warranted as a matter of law due to the application of the 'amputation rule.' The claims must be denied.
The deciding factor: Higher ratings for the right lower leg disabilities and the left knee disability would impermissibly increase his combined disability evaluation under the law, which already exceeds the maximum allowed by regulation.
- Claimed conditions
- gunshot wound of the left hand with combined ulnar and median nerve palsy, gunshot wound of the left hand with intrinsic muscle weakness and loss of motion of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th fingers, degenerative joint disease of the right knee due to gunshot wound, chronic ligamentous strain of the left knee, scar of the left hand due to gunshot wound
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2012
- Citation
- 1234204
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 1234204.
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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, finding that the claims were not valid as they did not challenge the original effective dates assigned in 2003.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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