The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including amputations of the right hand fingers and a left knee disorder, as well as other chronic diseases such as hypertension, an aortic aneurysm, skin cancer, and a left knee disorder, finding no current diagnoses or evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no competent evidence of current disabilities related to the claimed issues, and thus denied service connection as the cornerstone element had not been met.
- Claimed conditions
- Right hand amputation of thumb, Right hand amputation of index finger, Right hand amputation of middle finger, Right hand amputation of ring finger, Right hand amputation of little finger, Left knee disorder, Hypertensive vascular disease, claimed as hypertension and systolic hypertension, Aortic aneurysm, Skin cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2024
- Citation
- 24001250
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for annual clothing allowances for a left knee sleeve, A&D ointment, hydrocortisone cream, and incontinence briefs due to lack of service connection or evidence that these items cause irreparable damage to outer garments.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, a left knee disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal hernia, and diverticulitis. A 30 percent rating was also granted for the Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder effective February 26, 2021.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, left foot disorder (flatfoot and plantar fasciitis), right foot disorder (flatfoot and plantar fasciitis), left ankle disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, jaw disorder, hernias, right hand disorder, left hand disorder, left index finger disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder as there was no evidence of a current disability at any time during the appeal period.
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