The Board denied service connection for a right thumb disability and denied increased ratings for the Veteran's anxiety disorder, right wrist disability, coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic rotator cuff tear of the right shoulder, and TDIU from December 7, 2010 to December 7, 2012. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current right thumb arthritis to service or a service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between the Veteran's current right thumb basal joint arthritis and his period of service or any service-connected disability, including his service-connected right wrist disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Thumb Basal Joint Arthritis, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20073043
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,242 · Granted: 24% (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 20073043.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted a 70% rating, effective July 15, 2024. The Veteran's GERD remains at a 10% rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted at a 70 percent rating prior to July 29, 2024. The GERD rating remains at 30 percent disabled but no higher.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's IBS with GERD was granted an initial 60 percent rating. The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and development.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected IBS and GERD, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria.
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