The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle strain, right ankle strain, and right knee retropatellar pain syndrome were denied as there is no evidence of entitlement prior to the date of receipt of his claim on February 8, 2008.
The deciding factor: The effective date cannot be earlier than the date of receipt of the Veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of evidence of entitlement prior to that date.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle strain, right ankle strain, right knee retropatellar pain syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 10, 2026
- Citation
- A26021763
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 A26021763.
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 several service connection claims due to the need for additional medical records and examinations.,Service connection is denied for tinnitus.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle strain and right foot condition, finding no current disability related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial compensable ratings for his bilateral hip/thigh and right ankle conditions require additional medical examination to determine their current severity.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ankle strain, finding that there is clear and unmistakable evidence that the condition preexisted active service and was not aggravated by service. The appeal is dismissed.
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