The Board denied an effective date earlier than June 30, 2016 for the right thumb disability and denied a higher initial rating of more than 10 percent for the same condition.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran's right thumb disability onset within one year prior to June 30, 2016, and there was no additional functional loss during flare-ups or after repeated use over time that warranted a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- right thumb disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25011433
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 831 · Granted: 48% (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 A25011433.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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