The Board grants an initial 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability, an initial 20 percent disability rating for the cervical spine disability, and an initial 10 percent disability rating for the right long finger disability, all effective from November 1, 2009.

The deciding factor: The Board finds that the evidence is at least in approximate balance as to whether the Veteran's disabilities manifested in the specified levels of severity throughout the appeal period, and thus grants the benefits sought on appeal under the 'benefit-of-the-doubt' rule.

Claimed conditions

thoracolumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, right long finger disability

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

40%

Decision date

November 19, 2025

Citation

25014159

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine