The Board has determined that the veteran's left eye cataract and right eye glaucoma were present at service entry, and there is no evidence of aggravation during service. Therefore, these conditions are not considered to be incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The pre-existing nature of the left eye cataract and right eye glaucoma was established based on medical records indicating their presence prior to service entry, and the Board found no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut this presumption. The veteran's current conditions are considered to be a result of natural progression rather than service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Eye Cataract, Right Eye Glaucoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2003
- Citation
- 0308659
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,419 · Granted: 21% (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 0308659.
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: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 because there was no evidence that the right eye disability resulted from carelessness, negligence, or similar fault on the part of VA personnel.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted an initial disability rating of 60 percent for the Veteran's left eye CRVO, effective from the date of the July 2024 decision on appeal.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another person was denied in an August 2021 rating decision. The Board found that legal entitlement to this benefit did not exist prior to February 11, 2019.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various knee and ankle disabilities, as well as left eye cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. The Veteran's claims are being returned for further development due to the need to obtain additional medical opinions.
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