The Board has reopened the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, but denied the claim itself due to lack of evidence showing that his blindness contributed to his death.
The deciding factor: The veteran died from a gunshot wound during a robbery and there is no credible evidence supporting the appellant's contention that his left eye blindness prevented him from seeing the gun or resisting the assailant.
- Claimed conditions
- blindness in left eye
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 26, 2006
- Citation
- 0622118
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,325 · 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 0622118.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to concerns about the Veteran's right eye disability worsening and his history of blindness in his left eye. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected right eye disability, including any related issues like dizziness and falling.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for blindness in the left eye as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II. The issue of entitlement to special monthly compensation based on blindness is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for additional medical examination and opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's blindness following left eye surgery. The issue is not about service connection, but rather compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his shrapnel wounds and stroke-related conditions, have significantly impacted his mobility. He is seeking specially adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant to accommodate these needs.
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