The Board denied service connection for right and left thumb strain as there was no evidence of a chronic disability in service or within one year following discharge, and the current conditions were not shown to be related to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion that the thumb strain was less likely than not incurred in or caused by the claimed in-service injury, event, or illness, based on a thorough review of the claims file and examination of the Veteran, was found to be highly probative.
- Claimed conditions
- right thumb strain, left thumb strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25032042
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee, right knee, lumbosacral strain, and right hand scars, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sinusitis, urticaria, allergic rhinitis, tension headaches, shoulder bursitis, foot plantar fasciitis, ankle tendonitis, thumb strain, and PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder. The Board also remanded claims for fatigue, CFS, sleep apnea, and amputated left little finger.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for a right thumb disability, service connection for sleep apnea and plantar fasciitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, and non-compensable ratings for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, thoracolumbar strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine, right knee strain, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity sciatic nerve.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability was denied. The veteran was granted separate initial ratings for right thumb strain, right long finger strain, right ring finger strain, and right little finger strain. The claim for service connection for a left ankle disability was remanded.
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