The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a right index finger injury, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury and insufficient medical opinion to establish a nexus between his current disability and military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s current right index finger disability did not have its onset during or within one year after service, and there was no competent medical evidence linking it to an in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a right index finger injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20007467
Veterans Law Judge
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 20007467.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal in its entirety, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review the appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted a TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, finding that his functional impairments due to bilateral pes planus and other conditions render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's residuals of a right index finger injury are granted a 10 percent disability rating. The Veteran's hypertension associated with HIV related illness is granted a non-compensable rating, and the Veteran's bilateral spermatocele (testes) is also granted a non-compensable rating. However, the Veteran's djd of the lumbar spine remains at a non-compensable rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be related to his active service, and he is granted service connection for this condition.
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