The Board found that the veteran's current blindness is not related to service, as there are no service medical records and his eye problems were first noted after discharge. The Board concluded that the veteran's blindness was due to sickle cell trait, which he had since 1966.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of any eye problems in service or during the period immediately following discharge, and the veteran did not relate his current eye issues to service until after discharge. The Board found that the veteran's blindness was due to sickle cell trait rather than a service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- blindness, sickle cell trait
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 22, 2000
- Citation
- 0016575
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 0016575.
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.
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- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Partly granted
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