The Veteran's right little finger disability is rated as noncompensable, and the Board denied an initial compensable rating due to lack of ankylosis or functional impairment that would be equally served by amputation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have ankylosis in his right little finger or functional impairment such that it would be equally well served by an amputation with prosthesis, which is required for a compensable rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- Right little finger disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 25, 2020
- Citation
- 20056105
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 20056105.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right little finger disability and remanded the claim of service connection for a left shoulder disability due to incomplete records.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran was not unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 1, 2017 due to his service-connected right little finger disability. The evidence showed he had multiple nonservice-connected disabilities and occasional right hand impairment but could still perform employment duties.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted initial ratings for the Veteran's right thumb, index finger, and long finger disabilities, as well as a separate rating for his left thumb disability. The claims for increased ratings for the right ring and little fingers, and left ring and little fingers were denied.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted an initial 10 percent rating for the Veteran's right little finger disability, finding that the functional impairment of the right little finger more nearly approximated amputation without metacarpal resection.
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.