The index or middle finger has reduced range of motion, affecting its ability to bend or move fully.
To support a 10% rating, medical records or a VA examination should document that when you flex your index or long finger as far as possible, the fingertip remains at least one inch (2.5 cm) away from the proximal transverse crease of your palm. Alternatively, records showing that your ability to straighten the finger is limited by more than 30 degrees would also support this level. Examination findings that measure the gap in centimeters or record the degrees of extension loss are especially useful.
For the lower end of the rating scale, an examiner's finding that the gap is less than one inch and that extension loss is 30 degrees or less would correspond to the 0% level.
Statements from you or people who know you describing difficulty gripping, pinching, or performing tasks that require full finger movement can help show how the limited motion affects your daily life and work. These statements are most helpful when they connect directly to the specific movement restrictions — flexion gap or extension loss — that the rating criteria describe.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
