The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied. The effective date for service connection was set at January 10, 2017, and the rating for cold injury residuals of the right hand remains at 30 percent. For the left foot, a 20 percent rating is granted as of April 23, 2014.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not file an informal or formal claim prior to January 10, 2017 for service connection for cold injuries to his right hand. The effective date was set at the date of receipt of the informal claim on January 10, 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- Status Post Cold Injury, Fingers of Right Hand, Cold Injury Residuals of Left Foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 4, 2023
- Citation
- 23000336
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 352 · Granted: 37% (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 23000336.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's cold injury residuals were granted initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for the right foot and left hand prior to specific dates. From April 25, 2018 onwards, a 20 percent rating was granted for the right foot and from July 18, 2018 onwards, a 30 percent rating was granted.,The Veteran's cold injury residuals were granted initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for the left hand prior to January 15, 2019. From January 15, 2019 onwards, a 30 percent rating was granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding no medical evidence linking any in-service condition or disability to his death from probable acute myocardial infarction. The appeal was also denied for DIC benefits pursuant to 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.
- Granted
The veteran's cold injury residuals of the right and left feet are currently rated at 30 percent each, with no compensable ratings for other conditions. The increased rating claims have been granted.
- 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.
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.