The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before a decision can be made on the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a corneal ulcer injury to the right eye. The RO must obtain medical records from Dr. Margolies and schedule the veteran for a VA examination to determine if his current right eye disorders are related to his service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is insufficient development in the record to decide the claim, including missing medical records and lack of an etiological opinion regarding the relationship between the veteran's current eye conditions and his service.
- Claimed conditions
- corneal ulcer injury, chronic cystoid macular edema, Irvine-Gass syndrome, cataract
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2003
- Citation
- 0309631
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,055 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0309631.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for fatigue was dismissed. His headaches, IBS, GERD, allergic rhinitis, sinus, and sleep apnea were all granted. The left knee disability and cataract claims are still pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for his service-connected eye disability, including cataract with meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye syndrome, is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board finds that relevant VA treatment records from VistA Imaging are missing.
- Denied
The appeal for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for open angle glaucoma, retinal detachment, and cataract (eye disability) was denied as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were caused by VA's carelessness or negligence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's eye disabilities, specifically his cataracts and hypertensive retinopathy.
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