The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied. The claim for an effective date earlier than April 6, 2015 for the grant of service connection for residual scarring was denied as it did not meet the legal criteria. The TDIU claim was granted with an effective date of August 15, 2012. The Veteran's disability ratings for his right thumb and left thumb disabilities were also denied.
The deciding factor: The earlier effective date claims were denied because they did not meet the legal criteria as there is no evidence that the increase in disability occurred prior to April 6, 2015. For the TDIU claim, the effective date was granted based on when the Veteran initially filed his claim for an increased evaluation of his thumb disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- residual scarring, right upper extremity, right thumb metacarpophalangeal arthritis (right thumb disability), left gamekeepers thumb with metacarpophalangeal joint capsule rupture (left thumb disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20004649
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date prior to August 10, 2022, for service-connected conditions as the October 2024 Supplemental Claim was not a valid appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date prior to August 10, 2022, for service-connected conditions as the October 2024 Supplemental Claim was not a valid appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for additional disability resulting from an aborted cystoscopy at a VA facility on May 24, 2001, is being remanded for further development.
- Granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for a dermatological condition, to include recurrent boils, cysts, and residual scarring, was reopened based on new evidence showing the presence of residual scarring. The Board determined that there is a current disability related to an in-service exposure.
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