The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for each of the service-connected right and left thumb arthritis, index finger arthritis, long finger arthritis, ring and little finger arthritis. The ratings are effective as of August 21, 2020.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's arthritis was shown to be manifested by painful motion without more significant functional impairment or limitation of motion that would warrant a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Thumb Arthritis, Left Thumb Arthritis, Right Index Finger Arthritis, Left Index Finger Arthritis, Right Long Finger Degenerative Arthritis, Left Long Finger Degenerative Arthritis, Right Ring and Little Finger Arthritis, Left Ring and Little Finger Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- August 9, 2024
- Citation
- A24045584
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 A24045584.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied all claims for increased ratings, finding that none of the conditions met the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable rating criteria. The effective dates for service connection were also not granted as requested by the Veteran.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. Service connection for IBS was not granted, while the Veteran's left hand arthritis, long finger arthritis, thumb arthritis, strictureplasty scar, right knee chondromalacia patella, and left knee chondromalacia patella all remained at noncompensable levels.
- Denied
The Veteran's right thumb arthritis is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board found no evidence of a gap greater than two inches between the thumb pad and fingers, with the thumb attempting to oppose the fingers. Therefore, an increased rating beyond 10 percent is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to the need for a VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected right hand thumb and finger disabilities.
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