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Denied

The Veteran's right hand thumb, index finger, long finger, ring finger, and little finger disabilities are currently rated as 10 percent disabling each. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.

The deciding factor: The VA examination reports did not show ankylosis or other functional equivalent to ankylosis in any of the Veteran's right hand digits, and the current ratings under DCs 5228, 5229, and 5230 are considered appropriate for his symptoms.

Claimed conditions
Right Hand Thumb Post-Traumatic Arthritis, Right Hand Index Finger Post-Traumatic Arthritis, Right Hand Long Finger Post-Traumatic Arthritis, Right Hand Ring Finger Post-Traumatic Arthritis, Right Hand Little Finger Post-Traumatic Arthritis
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
January 15, 2026
Citation
A26004133

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 A26004133.

What this means for you

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What you can do next

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