The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for various hand conditions due to lack of required symptoms.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the absence of specific symptoms such as a gap between the fingertip and the proximal transverse crease of the palm, amputation, or ankylosis.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of left hand index finger proximal phalanx fracture with degenerative arthritis, left hand long finger degenerative arthritis, left little finger degenerative arthritis, left ring finger degenerative arthritis, left thumb degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2025
- Citation
- A25003931
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (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 A25003931.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for left thumb degenerative arthritis and surgical scars, as well as service connection for hypertension secondary to PTSD, were all denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left hand long finger degenerative arthritis, finding that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating based on limitation of motion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for various degenerative arthritic conditions of multiple joints and the lower back, as additional evidence is needed.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left thumb degenerative arthritis, finding an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding in-service incurrence and a causal relationship to current disabilities.
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