The Board found that the veteran did not have current disabilities involving his ankles, knees, left thigh, or right hand. The claims for service connection were denied as there was no medical evidence of a current disability related to service.
The deciding factor: There is no objective pathology in any of the claimed conditions and the veteran's lay statements are insufficient to establish the presence of a current disability.
- Claimed conditions
- overuse syndrome of the left ankle, residuals of a right ankle sprain, residuals of a left knee injury, residuals of a right knee injury, overuse syndrome of the left thigh, residuals of a right hand injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2003
- Citation
- 0311233
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0311233.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an annual clothing allowance for the use of a manual wheelchair during the 2022 calendar year due to wear and tear on his clothing caused by the wheelchair.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a right ankle injury, residuals of a left knee injury, and tinnitus.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a right ankle injury, residuals of a left knee injury, and tinnitus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased evaluation of various conditions due to a request for information regarding the competence of the VA examiners who provided expert medical opinions.
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.