The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for turf toe, left hallux and an initial disability evaluation in excess of 10 percent for left patellofemoral syndrome. The veteran was not shown to have a chronic condition related to his active duty service, and there is no evidence that he has any current disability as a result of such service.
The deciding factor: The medical records do not show any chronic left big toe or knee disability during the veteran's active duty service, nor does there appear to be continuity of symptoms since then. The VA examinations did not reveal any current left great toe abnormality and the veteran has not provided evidence of treatment for such a condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Left patellofemoral syndrome, Turf toe, left hallux
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2003
- Citation
- 0303823
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 244 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0303823.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequacies in the previous knee examination and to consider service connection for a left knee disability on secondary basis.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to adjudicate the claims on appeal due to a failure by the RO to comply with previous remand instructions. The Veteran's right foot and left knee disorders are being referred for further examination and opinion.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's 20 percent rating for degenerative joint disease S1-S2 with transitional vertebrae S1 was improperly reduced and must be restored. Additionally, the Veteran’s claims for increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities are remanded as new examinations are needed to assess the current severity of these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other criteria.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.