Glaucoma decisions — 2000

The veteran's claim for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes was denied due to the combined evaluation of his nonservice-connected disabilities not meeting the required percentage.

The Board denied service connection for lung disorder, glaucoma, and cataracts due to the absence of competent medical evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased disability rating for service-connected hemorrhoids and service connection for glaucoma. The denial of the hemorrhoids claim is based on a lack of evidence showing large or thrombotic hemorrhoids that are irreducible, with excessive redundant tissue, and frequently recurring. For glaucoma, the Board found no medical records from the veteran's claimed treatment providers.

The appellant's claims for service connection for various conditions, including loss of strength and motion of the shoulders, numbness in hands, foot drop, knee replacements, balance control problems, and glaucoma, are denied as there is no competent medical evidence indicating that these conditions were incurred during his military service or due to ionizing radiation exposure.

The veteran's appeal was dismissed due to the death of the veteran, and no service connection is granted as a result.

The RO denied an increased rating for glaucoma and granted a compensable initial disability evaluation for the scar, residual of pilonidal cyst excision.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes, a heart disorder, tinnitus, loss of equilibrium, eye infections, glaucoma, and prostate disorder are denied as there is no evidence to support these conditions were incurred or aggravated during service or due to exposure to radiation.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well-grounded, as there was no medical evidence linking his current conditions to his active service or chemical exposure.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for polyps and tumor of the nose, and diabetes mellitus. The new evidence submitted by the veteran suggests exposure to cancer-causing chemicals in service, which is material to his claims.

The veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation for glaucoma has been dismissed as the appellant requested to withdraw his appeal.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has determined that the veteran's current eye disorders, including glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts, were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The BVA also found no relationship between his service-connected hyperthyroidism and any current eye pathology.

The Board found no evidence that the veteran meets the 'objective' or 'subjective' standards for permanent and total disability, thus denying his claim of entitlement to a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a nasal fracture, an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include schizophrenia), and glaucoma. The evidence submitted since the February 1983 decision did not provide new or material information to reopen the claim for nasal fractures. There is no medical evidence linking the veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder (to include schizophrenia) or glaucoma to military service.

The veteran is entitled to compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for aggravation of glaucoma following a VA cataract removal procedure in October 1992.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for glaucoma from April 14, 1997 to March 30, 1998. Effective March 31, 1998, the veteran was granted a 100 percent evaluation.

The Board denied increased evaluations for glaucoma of the left eye and retinal detachment of the left eye, both currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board found that the veteran did not have an acquired left eye disability due to disease or injury incurred in service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found no evidence of current disabilities for the claimed conditions and denied service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for glaucoma, finding that the veteran's symptoms in service were likely early signs of his later diagnosed condition.

The veteran is entitled to an effective date of April 1, 1991 for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.