The Veteran's left thumb disability, which caused painful motion prior to April 6, 2017, is granted a rating of 10 percent. The appeal for an increased rating and initial higher ratings are denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations indicated that the Veteran had painful motion in his left thumb but did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under DC 5228 due to lack of significant additional loss of range of motion during flare-ups or ankylosis.
- Claimed conditions
- Cellulitis, Left Thumb Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19118733
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 19118733.
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 a 10 percent disability rating for cellulitis, which covers at least 5 percent but less than 20 percent of the Veteran's total body area and at least 5 percent but less than 20 percent of exposed areas affected. The decision satisfies the Veteran's appeal as he testified that this rating would be satisfactory.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have any of the claimed disabilities and therefore, service connection for right thumb, left thumb, right index finger, left index finger, right middle finger, left middle finger, right ring finger, left ring finger, right small finger, or left small finger disabilities is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for service-connected cellulitis, as the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several disabilities, including left thumb, left wrist, right hip, back, and sciatic nerve conditions, but denied service connection for diabetes mellitus.
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