The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are rated at 20% prior to June 22, 2015 and at 40% thereafter. The Veteran's degenerative changes of the left thumb is currently rated as noncompensable.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic code.
- Claimed conditions
- Prostate Cancer, Degenerative Changes of the Left Thumb
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20004414
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · 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 20004414.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran is granted SMC at the rate of 50% for his service-connected conditions from April 20, 2020 to June 7, 2021.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension and prostate cancer residuals (voiding dysfunction) have been granted increased ratings of 10 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of his depressive disorder and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied as the November 2024 rating decision was not adjudicating previously pursued claims.
- Granted
The Veteran's urinary sphincter dysfunction is restored to a 40 percent rating effective February 1, 2025. A higher rating for the condition beginning July 12, 2023, is denied.
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