The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of an eye injury and for increased ratings for his chin scar, hemorrhoids, and lumbosacral strain. The veteran was also denied a total disability rating due to individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding that any current eye disorder or other conditions were related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Refractive error, Macular dystrophy, Choroidal rupture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2002
- Citation
- 0217753
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 0217753.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right eye visual field loss is due to an in-service injury, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claim for a bilateral eye disorder, including vision loss, is denied as refractive error of the eyes is not considered a disability for which service connection can be granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right eye disability, including a corneal abrasion from service and current conditions like refractive error, presbyopia, mild cataracts, and blepharitis, is being remanded for further evaluation. The TDIU claim is also remanded due to its interdependence with the service connection issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's eye condition and his service-connected conditions, including vasovagal syndrome and atypical migraine headaches.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.