C&P Exam for Ring or little finger, limitation of motion (DC 5230)

For ring or little finger, limitation of motion (DC 5230), the C&P examiner completes the following Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ):

• DBQ MUSC Hand and Finger (public PDF on VA.gov)

DBQs are Department of Veterans Affairs Form 21-0960 series documents. Public DBQs are hosted on benefits.va.gov. A handful are examiner-only and are not posted publicly.

The following tiers are reproduced from 38 CFR Part 4, the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities. Toggle between the official VA criteria and a Plain English explanation.

Plain-English summaries are AI-generated to explain the official criteria. The official 38 CFR language is the binding legal standard. When in doubt, ask a VSO.

The themes below were extracted by clustering 500 grant-factor sentences from published Board of Veterans Appeals decisions for this diagnostic code. Frequencies indicate how often each theme appeared in the sample. This is a factual aggregate of the public record, not advice or strategy for any specific claim.

1. 31% Benefit of doubt doctrine noted as inapplicable, claim denied
   The Board recorded that the preponderance or weight of evidence was against the claim and therefore the benefit of the doubt doctrine did not apply, resulting in denial.
   156 of 500 sample sentences
2. 19% Benefit of doubt applied, grant or higher rating awarded
   The Board recorded that evidence was in approximate balance or equipoise and resolved the benefit of the doubt in the Veteran's favor, resulting in a grant or increased rating.
   97 of 500 sample sentences
3. 17% Legal standard for benefit of doubt doctrine cited
   The Board cited the statutory or regulatory standard requiring that when positive and negative evidence is in approximate balance or nearly equal, the benefit of the doubt must be given to the claimant.
   87 of 500 sample sentences
4. 12% Evidence found in equipoise or relative balance
   The Board recorded a finding that the evidence for and against the claim was in approximate balance, relative equipoise, or nearly equal on a material issue.
   62 of 500 sample sentences
5. 11% Medical nexus opinion noted as at least as likely as not
   The Board recorded that a VA or private examiner opined it was at least as likely as not that a current disability was incurred in, caused by, or related to the Veteran's military service.
   55 of 500 sample sentences
6. 6% Examiner directed to provide at-least-as-likely nexus opinion
   The Board recorded remand instructions directing an examiner to state whether it was at least as likely as not that a diagnosed condition was related to or caused by service.
   30 of 500 sample sentences
7. 1% Record supported finding of specific disability criteria met
   The Board recorded that the evidence of record supported a factual finding that the Veteran's disability met specific rating criteria, such as painful motion, functional loss, or a particular diagnostic threshold.
   7 of 500 sample sentences
8. 1% Board applicability of benefit of doubt doctrine considered but not dispositive
   The Board noted that it considered the applicability of the benefit of the doubt doctrine in reaching its conclusions without further elaboration on the outcome of that consideration.
   6 of 500 sample sentences