The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right eye aphakia and left patella fracture residuals require additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The most recent VA examination was inadequate for rating purposes due to a lack of detail regarding all symptoms and findings related to the veteran's right eye disability and left knee disorder. The examiner did not include sufficient information on visual field deficits or functional impairment in the left lower extremity, which are crucial factors for proper evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- aphakia of the right eye, residuals of a fracture of the left patella
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2000
- Citation
- 0030163
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 0030163.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for blindness, aphakia of the right eye, a nervous condition, tachycardia, and hypertension have been denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his active duty service. The Board found that the current diagnoses are not related to any in-service events or conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and aphakia of the right eye have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks additional beneficiary travel payments for trips to a VA-authorized health care facility from March 2011 to July 2011. The VAMC denied the claim, and the case is being remanded due to incomplete records and lack of specific denial rationale.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial rating for diabetes mellitus type II is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The TDIU claim is also denied due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities not preventing him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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