The Board granted service connection for a left-hand disability, to include secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right index finger. The claims for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent prior to August 16, 2023 and a rating in excess of 40 percent from August 16, 2023 for lumbar degenerative disc disease were denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence was approximately balanced as to whether the Veteran's left-hand disability was caused by his service-connected right index finger. The criteria for an initial and increased rating for lumbar DDD were not met based on the severity of the condition at different times.
- Claimed conditions
- left-hand disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2025
- Citation
- 25004780
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 35% (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 25004780.
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 claim for service connection for a left-hand disability has been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his military service.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for hypertension has also been denied due to the lack of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more, systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more, or requiring continuous medication.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for tinnitus and an acquired psychiatric disability were dismissed due to improper concurrent elections.,The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of back, sciatic nerve, right shoulder, foot, skin, left-hand, or right-hand disabilities. The claim for headaches was also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for low back, right shoulder, left-hand, and tinnitus disabilities. The claim for right ear hearing loss is remanded due to the grant of service connection for tinnitus. The claims for neck disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability are also remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection are not supported by credible evidence and must be remanded to allow for further review.
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