The Board denied service connection for residuals of a left index finger injury and sinusitis and/or allergic rhinitis, finding that the Veteran did not have exposure to herbicides in Thailand and there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's duties as an airframe repairman did not place him near the perimeter of the base where herbicides were sprayed. There was no credible evidence of herbicide exposure, and the Board found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of sinusitis or allergic rhinitis.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a left index finger injury, sinusitis and/or allergic rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19109264
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,515 · 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 19109264.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for GERD, and remanded the other issues for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for various disabilities, including psoriasis and left eye visual acuity loss, are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.,The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of a left index finger injury is also remanded as it may be related to his right knee disability.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is also remanded as it could impact other claims.
- Partly granted
The Veteran is granted a TDIU from March 12, 2018. The case is remanded for consideration of whether a TDIU can be awarded on an extraschedular basis prior to that date.
- Granted
Service connection is granted for residuals of a left index finger injury. Service connection for left and right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome are remanded.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.