The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for the Veteran's amputation of the left index finger, as the evidence supports that the amputation is without metacarpal resection at the proximal interphalangeal joint or proximal thereto.
The deciding factor: The evidence from Dr. M.J. and the VA examiner indicated that the Veteran had 1.9 digit loss to his left index finger, which was 'very near the PIP joint,' meeting the criteria for a 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5153.
- Claimed conditions
- amputation of the left index finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 31, 2025
- Citation
- A25009078
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 A25009078.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including amputation of the left index finger, deviated septum, and other disabilities. The decision also noted that some issues were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for cause of death, finding that the Veteran's death was due to natural causes and not related to his service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for amputation of the left index finger, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to inadequate opinions in previous examinations.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the appellant's claim and remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the cause of death.
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