The veteran's injuries related to his March 12, 1968, motor vehicle accident were not incurred in the line of duty and service connection for residuals of a fracture of the left femur, right ankle, and an acquired psychiatric disorder was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence clearly shows that the veteran's injuries occurred while he was AWOL, thus they are not considered to be incurred in the line of duty. Additionally, there is no evidence linking any current disabilities to service or showing a continuity of symptomatology since service.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of a fracture of the left femur, Residuals of a fractured right ankle, Acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2008
- Citation
- 0812576
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,377 · Granted: 17% (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 0812576.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted the reopening of claims for service connection for a heart disorder, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and gout. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease with CAD, diabetes mellitus type 2, left below knee amputation with left hip avascular necrosis, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to the Veteran's service-connected status post left leg amputation.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression), MST and insomnia based on new and relevant evidence. The TDIU issue was remanded.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, posttraumatic stress disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression.
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