The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected left eye pterygium is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA ophthalmological examination.
The deciding factor: The case requires further investigation into the relationship between the veteran's current left eye disabilities and his service-connected pterygium, as well as verifying any reported left eye trauma during service.
- Claimed conditions
- pterygium at the nasal margin of the left eye, bilateral mild cataracts, bilateral primary open-angle glaucoma, left eye corneal scar, left eye dense superior visual field loss, left esophoria, left optic atrophy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2004
- Citation
- 0417863
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 0417863.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for the service-connected left eye corneal scar and remanded the claim for service connection for sleep apnea.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU, as the evidence did not support a higher disability rating or unemployability due to service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left eye disability, including corneal scar, macular pucker, dry eye syndrome, and cataracts. The evidence does not support the claim that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active-duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a left eye disability, to include refractive amblyopia from congenital astigmatism, left eye nuclear cataracts, and left eye corneal scar, for further development of evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's left eye corneal scar.
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