The Board has determined that the veteran's current eye disability, including refractive error and diplopia with associated convergence insufficiency, is not service-connected as it does not have its onset during service or due to a disease incurred in service. The medical evidence supports this conclusion.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions provided by VA contradict an earlier private opinion suggesting the condition was present at service entry, and indicate that the current eye disability is more likely related to aging rather than military service.
- Claimed conditions
- refractive error of the eyes, diplopia with associated convergence insufficiency
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2003
- Citation
- 0302408
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,377 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0302408.
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 Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for vision problems, including glaucoma, cataracts, and refractive error of the eyes. The case is being returned to VA for further development.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered the Veteran to be examined for his eye disabilities and acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety. The examinations were not conducted as per the October 2022 remand directive.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral eye disability and refractive error of the eyes, finding no evidence to support a relationship between these conditions and active duty service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in a previous VA spine examination and for obtaining updated treatment records. The Veteran is scheduled for an examination to determine if his lumbosacral spine disability is related to active service.
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