The Board denied a compensable evaluation for the veteran's bilateral pterygia, finding that his vision loss was due to age-related macular degeneration and not related to the history of pterygia or excisions.
The deciding factor: The VA ophthalmic examination found no recurrence of pterygia and concluded that the primary cause of the veteran's vision loss was advanced age-related macular degeneration, which was unrelated to his history of pterygia or excisions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral pterygia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2002
- Citation
- 0218830
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0218830.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions and their relationship to service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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