The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left foot injury was denied, as new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the previously denied claim. The RO found that while the veteran's private physicians had found that his left foot disability was likely permanently aggravated by his active service, their opinions were not properly supported by medical rationale.
The deciding factor: The VA rating examination did not support a grant of service connection for the veteran's left foot injury as being permanently aggravated during or as a result of his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot injury
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2003
- Citation
- 0309457
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,055 · Granted: 31% (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 0309457.
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: Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of your case. The Board cannot make a decision on your claims now.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the Board Appeal request was not timely filed with respect to the December 5, 2023 rating decision that denied service connection for PTSD, left foot injury, and right foot injury.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left hip pain, finding that it began during her active duty and is associated with her pre-existing transitional vertebra L5 condition.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals regarding various conditions, including hypertension and sleep apnea. The Veteran's appeal for service connection on all other issues is also dismissed.
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