The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right thumb, ring finger, and little finger disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the current severity of these conditions. The rating criteria have changed since the last examination in December 2014, and functional loss must be considered.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected right thumb, ring finger, and little finger disabilities require an assessment of their current severity due to changes in the rating criteria and consideration of additional functional loss during flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Thumb Disability, Right Little Finger Disability, Right Ring Finger Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19108928
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,092 · Granted: 42% (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 19108928.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right ring finger disability and associated right hand scar are each rated at 10 percent. The Veteran is granted a separate 10 percent rating for his right hand scar, effective March 9, 2007. Separate ratings of 10 percent are assigned for peripheral neuropathy with carpal tunnel syndrome in both upper extremities and for peripheral neuropathy in the lower extremities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for a compensable evaluation for a right thumb disability and TDIU prior to October 13, 2016 have been dismissed due to the finality of previous decisions by the Board and the Court.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of his acquired psychiatric, cervical spine, lumbar spine, right thumb, right index finger, and right long finger disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's right thumb disability, scar, and hearing loss have been granted service connection with effective dates of September 9, 2024.
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