The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left hand disorders were denied, as there was no current diagnosis of these conditions. His claim for an increased rating for PTSD prior to April 19, 2016 was also denied, but his claim for an increased rating from that date onward remains on appeal.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show the Veteran had a current diagnosis of right and left hand disorders or any other disability related to service. For PTSD, the symptoms were found to be consistent with the existing 30 percent rating prior to April 19, 2016, but insufficient for an increased rating from that date onward.
- Claimed conditions
- right hand disorder, left hand disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20081170
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (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 20081170.
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 claims for service connection for headaches, right hand disorder, and right hip disorder are granted. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD is denied.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding his claims for an increased disability evaluation for a right index finger scar and service connection for a left hand disorder due to withdrawal of these appeals by the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a failure to notify the Veteran of his right to a pre-decisional hearing. The AOJ is instructed to provide the Veteran with notice concerning his right to a hearing and then re-adjudicate the claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors and remand the case for further action.
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