The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating and earlier effective date for service connection of residuals of a left ankle sprain was denied. The Board found that the March 2002 denial is final, and no new evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim prior to August 6, 2009.
The deciding factor: The effective date cannot be earlier than the date of receipt of the reopened claim (August 6, 2009) as it would not arise before that date.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a left ankle sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 9, 2015
- Citation
- 1538371
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 1538371.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The issues of entitlement to service connection for residuals of a left ankle sprain, bilateral knee conditions, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are being reviewed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that it does not have jurisdiction over the propriety of any rating prior to September 22, 2014. The claims for increased ratings are still in appellate status and remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations considering both old and new rating criteria.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for residuals of right and left ankle sprains due to inadequate examination findings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is necessary for the Veteran's claims of entitlement to an increased evaluation for residuals of a left ankle sprain and service connection for a lumbar spine disorder. The case will be remanded for further examination and opinion.
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