The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 20% rating for his service-connected right ankle disability, finding that the July 29, 2002 statement in support of claim was not a claim for increased rating but rather a claim for service connection. The May 2003 denial of service connection for left ankle did not affect the effective date for the right ankle.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's July 2002 statement in support of claim was not a claim for increased rating, but rather a claim for service connection for his non-service-connected left ankle. The May 2003 denial of service connection for left ankle did not affect the effective date for the right ankle.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle injury, Left ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19140234
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (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 19140234.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted a temporary total disability rating for the months of September, October, and November 2023. The appeal is remanded to determine entitlement to a temporary total disability rating for December 2023 and beyond.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a right ankle disability was dismissed because his Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was not filed within the one-year deadline and he did not request an extension. The Board found that the NOD was untimely.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle injuries, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between the current conditions and military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received with respect to all the service connection claims on appeal. The claims are being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA examinations and medical opinions to determine the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions.
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