The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection of left hand and thumb laceration was denied. The appeal to increase the right forearm rating was also denied as untimely.
The deciding factor: The appeals were not timely filed, as the Veteran did not file a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) on the right forearm rating decision within one year from its issuance.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand and thumb laceration, right forearm laceration
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 27, 2018
- Citation
- 18153301
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 18153301.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right forearm laceration, for which he sought immediate care from a private facility, was considered a valid medical emergency. The Board found that the nearest VA Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, was not feasibly available and an attempt to use it beforehand would not have been reasonable by a prudent layperson. Therefore, the Veteran is entitled to payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center on July 7, 2018.
- 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.
- 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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