The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for intermittent left-hand pain and numbness as secondary to his service-connected residuals of left index finger fracture, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced in favor of this claim.
The deciding factor: The Board found conflicting evidence regarding whether the Veteran’s current symptom of intermittent hand numbness and pain is due to his service-connected left index finger fracture, but resolved the doubt in favor of the Veteran based on Saunders v. Wilkie (2018).
- Claimed conditions
- intermittent left-hand pain, numbness
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20034530
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20034530.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's disability of numbness, tingling, and pain in the left lower extremity is granted as service connected.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities have been granted initial ratings of 20 percent each, effective April 19, 2023.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his request for withdrawal of the appeal, and thus the case is dismissed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a left-hand disability, to include numbness and degenerative arthritis, as the VA examination provided is found inadequate.
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