The Board has determined that there is no legal entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for scars of the left hand, as the veteran did not file a formal or informal claim prior to March 21, 2003.
The deciding factor: The veteran's statements and medical evidence dated prior to March 21, 2003 did not demonstrate an intent to raise an informal claim for scars of the left hand.
- Claimed conditions
- scars of the left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2006
- Citation
- 0606617
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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