The Board found that the veteran did not submit a timely Substantive Appeal regarding her claims of entitlement to service connection for residuals of a left knee injury and right ring finger sprain. The claim was denied as untimely, but evidence submitted since the November 1997 rating decision is considered new and material, reopening the claim.
The deciding factor: The veteran's Substantive Appeal was received more than one year after the issuance of the rating decision and two days beyond the 60-day period following from issuance of the SOC. The Board found that this constituted untimely filing.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee injury, right ring finger sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2003
- Citation
- 0300951
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 0300951.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeal was dismissed as the Board Appeal request was not timely filed.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for extensions of time to file Board Appeal requests were denied, and the attempted appeals are therefore dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for a left shoulder injury was granted, while the claims for increased ratings for his left knee injuries were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for scars on the right leg and back of head, as well as left and right knee injuries, due to a lack of evidence supporting an in-service motor vehicle accident.
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