The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and bipolar disorder, both claimed as secondary to his service-connected left ankle fracture.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that the back and neuropsychiatric disorders are not related to the service-connected left ankle disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, Bipolar disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2002
- Citation
- 0217870
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0217870.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his low back disability is being remanded due to the reduction in evaluation from 40 percent to 20 percent effective May 31, 2014. The RO needs to provide updated VA treatment records and schedule a VA examination to determine the current severity of the disability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, bipolar disorder, and depression was granted. The claim for a low back disability was denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that new evidence supports the readjudication of the claim for service connection for a mental disorder, but dismissed appeals seeking compensable ratings for residuals of right hand 5th metacarpal fracture and left ear hearing loss. The case is remanded to determine if an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to service.
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