The veteran's claim for compensation benefits for left eye blindness under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is being remanded due to VA's failure in its duty to assist by not obtaining sufficient medical opinion evidence.
The deciding factor: VA failed to obtain a medical opinion regarding the relationship between the veteran's carotid artery occlusion and his left eye blindness, as well as whether VA treatment records prior to February 1997 demonstrated signs or symptoms referable to the left carotid artery occlusion.
- Claimed conditions
- left eye blindness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 30, 2007
- Citation
- 0723461
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 0723461.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left eye injury, claimed as blindness, finding that it had its onset in service and is related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal of VA withholding his disability compensation benefits to offset a $600,000 tort settlement. The decision found that the withholding was proper under law.
- Granted
The Board has granted compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the appellant's disability of the left eye, to include loss of vision, finding that there is an approximate balance of negative and positive evidence regarding whether the VA's negligence caused the disability.
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