The Veteran's service-connected left thumb ulnar collateral ligament sprain and osteoarthritis has been granted a compensable disability rating of 10 percent.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the functional loss due to painful motion, which is analogous to a gap of 1 to 2 inches between the thumb pad and the fingers with the thumb attempting to oppose the fingers.
- Claimed conditions
- left thumb ulnar collateral ligament sprain, left thumb osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19107915
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19107915.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right and left thumb osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service as a helicopter pilot.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for further development and readjudication of the veteran's claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to a duty to assist error, requiring additional development and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for higher ratings on several musculoskeletal and neurological disabilities are remanded due to the need for new VA examinations.
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