The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a left small finger disability causally or etiologically related to active service. The competent and credible evidence of record does not support this claim.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the current left small finger disability is less likely as not related to his military service, attributing it instead to ulnar neuropathy at the elbow.
- Claimed conditions
- left small finger disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2015
- Citation
- 1548601
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 1548601.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the merits of various conditions have been dismissed due to a prohibited concurrent election. The claims were pending before the RO pursuant to an HLR request when VA received the Veteran's appeal.
- Dismissed
Your appeals for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and a left small finger disability have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The Board cannot issue a decision on these claims as they are no longer pending.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals to reopen claims for various disabilities due to the appellant's death.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for heart disability, right eye macular hole, left eye disability, right small finger disability, and left small finger disability were denied. The claim for service connection for a right eye condition other than a macular hole was granted due to new evidence showing current diagnoses of cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal scars. However, the preponderance of the evidence did not support finding that any of these disabilities began during active service or were related to in-service injuries.
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