The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a left ankle disability is denied as there is no legal basis for assigning an earlier effective date due to the finality of the October 1991 rating decision.
The deciding factor: The October 1991 rating decision denying service connection for a left ankle disability became final on November 4, 1992. The Veteran's claim was not filed until July 6, 2018, which is the date of receipt of his VA Form 21-526EZ.
- Claimed conditions
- Left lateral collateral ligament sprain, Chronic left ankle pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 20, 2024
- Citation
- A24058587
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 A24058587.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for right and left lateral collateral ligament sprain, finding that his range of motion did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Board also remanded the claim for entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for eligibility for benefits under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA's) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers is remanded due to an AOJ error in satisfying a regulatory and statutory duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for special monthly compensation based on the need of regular aid and attendance due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error, as recent evidence suggests a worsening of service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's left ankle disability is currently rated at 20 percent prior to October 11, 2020 and remanded for further development. Since October 11, 2020, the claim remains denied as there is no evidence of ankylosis.
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