The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for a left ring finger disability, finding no evidence of an injury to that finger during his active duty or periods of inactive duty training. The Board concluded there was insufficient credible evidence to establish the condition occurred in service.
The deciding factor: There is no credible evidence of a left ring finger injury occurring during the appellant's period of active duty service from December 1976 to September 1983, and no indication of arthritis being manifest within one year post-service discharge. The Board found that the STRs did not document any specific injury to the left ring finger.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ring finger injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19146021
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,836 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19146021.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
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