The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and further development of the secondary service connection issue.
The deciding factor: Further development is required as the veteran's eye conditions may be related to arteriosclerotic heart disease, which is linked to his diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ischemic optic neuropathy, macular degeneration
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2004
- Citation
- 0413582
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 112 · Granted: 22% (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 0413582.
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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the claim for service connection for macular degeneration due to a finding of clear and unmistakable error in the AOJ's decision, as no new and relevant evidence was presented or secured with the supplemental claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for seizure disorder and macular degeneration due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ must obtain a TERA Memorandum and medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran was exposed to chemicals or solvents while stationed at Fort McClellan during his service, and if so, whether these exposures are related to his claimed conditions.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection and ratings related to various conditions, including psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, foot fungus, macular degeneration, and sleep apnea has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
Service connection for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus is granted. Service connection for macular degeneration is remanded due to lack of a VA examination addressing the issue.
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