The Veteran's claim for a schedular evaluation in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the left hand was denied. The Board found that his symptoms did not warrant such a rating.,The Veteran’s claim for an extraschedular evaluation for degenerative joint disease of the left hand is remanded to determine if it warrants consideration outside the regular schedular criteria.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show a gap of at least two inches between the thumb pad and fingers, which would warrant a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5228. The Veteran's symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.,The Veteran’s left-hand disability significantly impacts his employment as a mail handler, indicating an exceptional or unusual disability picture that is not adequately addressed by the current schedular criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease of the Left Hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166189
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 19166189.
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.
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- Granted
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- Denied
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