The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left knee tri-compartmental osteoarthritis, stress fracture of the tibia; tinnitus; and right great toe status post fracture, 1st distal phalanx.
The deciding factor: The February 2, 2021 Intent to File was not recognized by VA as it was filed within one year of the prior intent to file on February 18, 2020. The July 7, 2021 VA Form 21-526EZ was also not received within the one-year period from receipt of the February 18, 2020 Intent to File.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee tri-compartmental osteoarthritis, stress fracture of the tibia, right great toe status post fracture, 1st distal phalanx, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25015674
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (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 A25015674.
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 claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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