Citation Nr: 18144420 Decision Date: 10/24/18 Archive Date: 10/24/18 DOCKET NO. 16-24 806A DATE: October 24, 2018 ORDER Entitlement to service connection for residuals of a left ring finger sprain is granted. FINDING OF FACT Resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran’s favor, he has residuals of a left ring finger sprain that was incurred during active service. CONCLUSION OF LAW The criteria for service connection for residuals of a left ring finger sprain are met. 38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 5107 (2012); 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.102, 3.303 (2018). REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION The Veteran served on active duty from September 1992 to September 1996 in the United States Marine Corps. This case comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from an October 2014 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in San Diego, California. Entitlement to service connection for residuals of a left ring finger sprain The Veteran asserts that he has residuals from a left ring finger strain that was incurred during active service. The Veteran’s service treatment records indicate that in August 1995, he sustained an injury to his left ring finger when a boat he was riding in flipped and he jammed his hand on the bow of the boat. On examination, there was edema and decreased strength in the finger. The assessment was sprain of the left ring finger. In September 1995, he complained of pain radiating over the knuckle and dull pain during flexion of the finger. Edema was noted and range of motion was within normal limits. His September 1996 separation examination noted that his upper extremities were normal and the Veteran denied experiencing any swollen or painful joints. He also denied experiencing any bone, joint, or other deformity. A VA examination was conducted in October 2014. The Veteran reported that he injured his finger during service and that he continued to have problems making a fist without a constant nagging type pain in the middle of the joint. The examiner also indicated that pain contributed to functional loss or additional limitation of range of motion and that the disability would affect the Veteran’s ability to perform certain occupational tasks. The examiner diagnosed left ring finger strain from 1994. However, the examiner opined that it was less likely than not that the left ring finger condition was incurred in service or was caused by the August 1995 injury. The examiner noted that the August 1995 injury was documented in the Veteran’s service treatment records, but that his separation examination did not indicate any complaints of a finger/hand condition, which suggested that the condition resolved prior to leaving service. In a June 2016 statement, the Veteran reported that the injury to his finger was never able to heal because of its location and the strenuous and continuous use of his hands in fingers. He stated that pain had become a part of his daily life since the injury and that the pain was chronic. He acknowledged that the report of his separation examination did not specifically note the injury to his hand, but stated that the report also did not specifically indicate that the condition had resolved. He stated that he made complaints about pain in his finger and feet, along with not getting a complete dental examination, prior to separation, but that those complaints were not noted in his records. In this case, an injury to the Veteran’s left ring finger is clearly documented in his service treatment records. In addition, his statements regarding the onset and continuity of his symptoms are both competent and credible. Although the VA examiner opined that the current left ring finger disability was not related to the in-service injury, the examiner did not address the Veteran’s statements that he had ongoing pain and problems with the finger since service. Therefore, the Board finds that the evidence for and against the claim of entitlement to service connection for residuals of a left ring finger sprain is at least in equipoise. Resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran’s favor, the Board finds that service connection for residuals of a left ring finger sprain is warranted. 38 U.S.C. § 5107; 38 C.F.R. § 3.102; Gilbert v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 49, 53 (1990). Kristin Haddock Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD S. Mishalanie, Counsel