The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a right thumb disability, stating that the additional disability was not the result of an unforeseeable event arising from endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery in 2017.
The deciding factor: The Board concluded that the nonunion of the right thumb proximal phalanx was not the result of an unforeseeable event arising out of the carpal tunnel release surgery, as the condition predated the surgery and there was no evidence linking it to the procedure.
- Claimed conditions
- right thumb disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 10, 2025
- Citation
- 25009032
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 25009032.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of a head injury and right thumb disability, finding no current disabilities or persistent symptoms related to these conditions during the pendency of the appeal.
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