The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC based on loss of use of his right hand, finding that he still had some limited function and would not be equally well served by an amputation with a suitable prosthetic appliance.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran did not have loss of use of the right hand due to functional limitations remaining in his hand despite ulnar nerve damage and atrophied muscles, and found no evidence suggesting he would be better served by an amputation.
- Claimed conditions
- ulnar neuropathy, loss of use of the right hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19194188
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (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 19194188.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for ulnar neuropathy of the right upper extremity should be remanded due to incomplete evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's left and right carpal tunnel syndrome, along with ulnar neuropathy, are rated at 30% since March 1, 2012.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of March 2, 2007, for the grant of service connection for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy and November 26, 2014, for COPD, emphysema, and asthma. The claims for earlier effective dates were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right and left hand condition (diagnosed as ulnar neuropathy) to obtain an additional medical opinion.
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