The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for residuals of right little finger fracture is denied. The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the ratings and issues related to SMC and TDIU.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners consistently reported that the Veteran would not be equally well served by an amputation stump at the site of election below elbow with use of a suitable prosthetic appliance, indicating no loss of use in the dominant hand.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of right little finger fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- May 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21031351
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 21031351.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's residuals of right little finger fracture, prior to October 27, 2016, are manifested by painful and limited motion, swelling, episodic paresthesias/hand numbness and reduced right-hand dexterity. The Board finds impairment of the Veteran's basic motor functions is more closely analogous to moderate incomplete paralysis of the ulnar nerve.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and conducting examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected back disability and other disabilities. The issue of a TDIU will also be reconsidered.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right middle finger scar and residuals of a right little finger fracture are not rated higher than the current 10 percent levels. The Board finds no basis for granting an increased rating or reopening any claims.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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