The Board denied the veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to lack of evidence showing that his loss of vision in the left eye was caused by VA care, negligence, or an unforeseeable event.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a finding that the veteran's current condition was proximately caused by VA treatment in June 1993.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of vision of the left eye
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 21, 2003
- Citation
- 0303077
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,374 · Granted: 19% (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 0303077.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the left eye disability effective December 6, 2021, and denied a higher rating prior to that date. The sternotomy scar was also denied a compensable rating.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of consideration of relevant private treatment records and an inadequate opinion from the VA examiner. The Veteran's loss of vision in the left eye is being reviewed again for possible service connection under the merits.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded four issues related to service connection for various disabilities, including a lumbar spine disability, sciatica of the right lower extremity, left foot disability, and loss of vision of the left eye. The AOJ is instructed to obtain relevant medical records and schedule the Veteran for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left eye disabilities, including a cataract and macular degeneration, are not related to his service or refractive error at the time of discharge. As such, the claim for service connection is denied.
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