The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's painful left thumb scar and remanded the claim for an increased rating for status post RCL repair left thumb MCP joint due to insufficient examination evidence.
The deciding factor: The October 2022 and October 2023 examinations were found inadequate as they did not estimate range of motion during flare-ups or discuss the ameliorative effects of medication on such range of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- painful left thumb scar, status post RCL repair left thumb MCP joint
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 28, 2025
- Citation
- A25028962
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (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 A25028962.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various thumb conditions and scars, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for an effective date of May 15, 2019, for a 10 percent rating each for his service-connected left thumb (extensor pollicis longus) laceration residuals and painful left thumb scar are granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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