The Board found that the Veteran's left hand and/or thumb disability is not related to service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion stated there was insufficient evidence to confirm a diagnosis of an acute or chronic left hand condition, and the examiner explained that the separation examination was silent for any left thumb injury residuals. The Veteran's current left hand disability is not related to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand and/or thumb disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 15, 2016
- Citation
- 1628389
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1628389.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his left arm disability, as well as his claims for a right knee disability and sciatic nerve impairment. The issues include determining whether he is entitled to an increased rating for his left arm limitation of motion, residual of injury, and whether he should be granted TDIU.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran did not have exposure to herbicides during service, and his prostate cancer was not related to active duty. The back disability and left hand/thumb disability were also not connected to service.
- 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.
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