The Veteran's right hand scars were not service-connected prior to August 31, 2009.,Prior to April 9, 2014, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The effective date for the right hand scars was determined to be August 31, 2009 due to the surgery performed that day. For the TDIU claim, the evidence showed the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not prevent him from securing or following any substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Right hand scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2017
- Citation
- 1707769
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 1707769.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD and right hand conditions are rated at the maximum allowable under VA guidelines, with no further increases granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim for service-connected disabilities is granted. The initial increased rating and compensable rating claims for right hand scars are denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities make him unemployable, and the Board has granted a TDIU effective from March 23, 2007.
- Denied
The veteran's claims for increased disability ratings were denied as the evidence did not support a compensable rating for any of his service-connected conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various scars, or an increase in severity of PTSD.
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