The Board has denied service connection for a right ring finger injury and remanded the issue of service connection for a minimal degenerative joint disease (neck disability). The Veteran's current neck disability is not related to his military service.
The deciding factor: There are no medical opinions linking the Veteran’s current cervical spine condition to his military service, specifically noting that there were two instances of neck strain injuries in February and January 1978 which predate the December 1978 diagnosis of cervical strain.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ring Finger Injury, Minimal Degenerative Joint Disease of the Cervical Spine (Neck Disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2024
- Citation
- 24017029
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 24017029.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right ring finger injury residuals have caused functional impairment due to pain, stiffness and swelling of the right ring finger resulting in limitation of motion with a gap of one inch or more between the fingertip and the proximal transverse crease of the palm with the finger flexed to the extent possible. The Board finds that these symptoms do not warrant an initial compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board found that the residuals of the right ring finger injury, characterized by ankylosis and osteoarthritic changes with associated pain and swelling, do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's rating schedule.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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