The veteran's glaucoma was not the result of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on the part of the VA in furnishing medical treatment; it did not represent an event that was not reasonably foreseeable; and it was not attributable to the VA's failure to diagnose and/or treat a preexisting glaucoma when the VA provided treatment.
The deciding factor: The VHA expert opinion concluded that there was no additional disability or abnormal worsening of the veteran's glaucoma as a result of treatment or lack thereof by VA medical personnel, and that data were missing to make an assessment on whether or not VA medical treatment or lack thereof may have had an abnormal worsening of his glaucoma.
- Claimed conditions
- glaucoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2008
- Citation
- 0812608
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for glaucoma and macular degeneration, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted reconsideration of the issues of entitlement to service connection for basal cell carcinoma, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral upper and lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The claims for these conditions were previously denied but are now being readjudicated due to new evidence.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for diabetes, glaucoma, left foot and toe tingling and numbness sensation, left hand and fingers tingling and numbness sensation, right foot and toe tingling and numbness sensation, right hand and fingers tingling and numbness sensation, and stomach cancer as moot.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right upper and lower extremity radiculopathy, glaucoma, and left orbital fracture, but denied a compensable disability rating for anemia.
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