The Board has restored the Veteran's 10 percent disability rating for his right fifth finger fracture, effective June 14, 2012. The reduction was improper as there was no actual improvement in the Veteran’s ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show a sustained or actual improvement in the Veteran's disability since the previous VA examinations that had been the basis for the 10 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Fifth Finger Fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18151946
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 18151946.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right fifth finger fracture is rated as noncompensable prior to January 16, 2020, and since February 28, 2022. From January 16, 2020, to February 28, 2022, a 10 percent rating for the right fifth finger fracture is granted. The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the right knee and left knee strain are both remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right fifth finger disability, which is a fracture that has resulted in pain and decreased strength but no ankylosis or functional impairment requiring amputation with prosthesis, does not warrant a compensable evaluation.
- 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.
- 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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