The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and earlier effective dates have been withdrawn. A TDIU rating is granted from June 10, 2014, based on his service-connected right median nerve laceration.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s service-connected right median nerve laceration prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation due to its severity and impact on his ability to use his dominant hand for work-related tasks.
- Claimed conditions
- Essential tremor, Right median nerve laceration, Rheumatoid arthritis in joints other than the right wrist
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- August 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19160691
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 19160691.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for essential tremor, bullous emphysema, COPD, and a pulmonary nodule as the evidence did not support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's in-service exposures to herbicide agents, asbestos, and lead.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bladder cancer and denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for essential tremor, while remanding the other issues for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Parkinsonism (previously considered as paralysis) due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service or herbicide exposure. Service connection was granted for essential tremor.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection of coronary artery disease (CAD) is dismissed. The Board has remanded the claim for a neurological disability, to include Parkinson's disease and essential tremor.
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.