The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right thumb and right hand disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating than what was currently assigned.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show ankylosis or other conditions warranting a higher rating, and the current 20% rating adequately reflects the Veteran's symptoms of limited range of motion and difficulty with activities of daily living.
- Claimed conditions
- right thumb disability, right hand neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 6, 2023
- Citation
- 23000985
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 23000985.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for chronic dry eye, chronic fatigue syndrome, constipation, IBS, left little finger disability, left index finger disability, left thumb disability, left ring finger disability, left long finger disability, right ring finger disability, right index finger disability, right long finger disability, and right thumb disability due to an error in the initial decision. The Veteran was not provided with notice of her right to a hearing on these issues.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle and right thumb disabilities, finding that new evidence supports these claims.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and the related neuropathies of the hands and legs. The Veteran's current diagnoses are attributed to his non-service-related diabetes.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of March 16, 2007 for the awards of service connection for right thumb and long finger disabilities.
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