The veteran's claim for a higher rating for retinitis pigmentosa was granted, and he is now rated at 90 percent. He also received special monthly compensation based on blindness of one eye with only light perception in both eyes since December 29, 1988. The Board denied his request for an earlier effective date for service connection.
The deciding factor: The veteran's retinitis pigmentosa did not result in bilateral concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or blindness in both eyes having only light perception as required for a higher rating, but he was entitled to special monthly compensation based on his condition due to blindness in one eye with limited vision.
- Claimed conditions
- retinitis pigmentosa
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- November 21, 2005
- Citation
- 0531309
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 0531309.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the motion to revise a 1968 rating decision denying service connection for retinitis pigmentosa due to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa, finding no evidence of a nexus to active service.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of January 3, 2001, for service connection for retinitis pigmentosa based on the re-evaluation of previously unassociated service treatment records.
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