Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for her service-connected right wrist disabilities were denied due to her failure to appear at a scheduled VA examination. The Board found that the October 2019 VA examination was necessary to determine entitlement to the benefits sought, but the Veteran did not provide good cause for her absence.

The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to attend the scheduled VA examination which was necessary to establish entitlement to increased ratings for her service-connected right wrist disabilities.

Claimed conditions
nonunion of the right radius and distal ulna, healed fracture of the right radius and ulna
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
December 1, 2020
Citation
A20017693

Veterans Law Judge

Cynthia M. Bruce

Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (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 A20017693.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.