The Board denied service connection for a disability of the second digit of the right hand, finding that there was no evidence of such a condition during service or within one year thereafter. The Veteran's current aching in the second finger is not shown to be causally related to his service-connected third metacarpal phalanx joint.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran has had a disability of the second digit of the right hand at any time during the period on appeal, and any perceived pathology involving that finger manifested more than one year after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Dislocated Third Digit of Right Hand with Traumatic Degenerative Osteoarthritis","diagnosis_code":"5270"}, {"condition_name":"Aching in Second Digit of Right Hand","diagnosis_code":null}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19180964
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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