The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected left knee scars and pilonidal cystectomy scar is granted, while the claim for a compensable rating for his right hand fifth metacarpal fracture remains denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examination reports did not show any evidence of underlying soft tissue damage or instability in the Veteran's scars, which precludes higher ratings under Diagnostic Codes 7801 and 7802. The Veteran’s right hand fifth metacarpal fracture was rated noncompensable as there is no minimal compensable rating for limitation of motion of the little finger.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Scars, Right Hand Fifth Metacarpal Fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19122393
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (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 19122393.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial increased rating in excess of 10 percent for the left knee disability and a compensable rating for the left knee scars based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for higher ratings.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sinusitis and denied increased ratings for tinnitus, rhinitis, left knee strain with meniscal tear, arthritis, and shin splints, status post patellar dislocation / tendon rupture surgery, left knee scars, and PTSD with alcohol use disorder and traumatic brain injury.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for COPD with OSA, headaches, and hypertension, but granted a separate 20 percent rating for meniscal tear of the left knee from August 27, 2019.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 10% evaluation for the Veteran's right knee scar and a 20% evaluation for his left knee scars, finding that both conditions are painful.
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