The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right middle finger disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current disabilities to an in-service injury. The examiner opined that the Veteran’s hand conditions were more likely related to post-service employment and aging.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners' opinions supported by rationale found the Veteran's current right middle finger disability not etiologically related to his active service, as it resolved without sequela.
- Claimed conditions
- Right middle finger disability, Bilateral hand osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2018
- Citation
- 18156063
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 18156063.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability in accordance with VA standards.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development due to the VA's failure to obtain relevant private treatment records. The appellant is entitled to a compensable disability rating for his right middle finger disability and service connection for hypertension, but these claims must be returned to the AOJ for additional efforts to locate the necessary medical evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found a pre-decisional error and has ordered the case to be remanded for further development, including scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's right middle finger disability is related to his military service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right middle finger disability was caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill or similar instance of fault on the part of VA in furnishing treatment. As a result, the Veteran is entitled to compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for this condition.
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