The veteran's claims for service connection for the residuals of injuries to his right and left eyes, cardiovascular disease, and cataracts were denied. The veteran was also denied an increased rating for diabetes mellitus with cataracts, but granted a 40% rating since January 23, 2007, and separate ratings for peripheral neuropathy in the lower and upper extremities.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptoms related to the claimed conditions during service. The cardiovascular disease was not shown to be related to service or any incident therein, including diabetes mellitus. The cataracts were determined to be secondary to the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of an injury to the right eye, Residuals of an injury to the left eye, Cardiovascular disease (left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction), Bilateral cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2008
- Citation
- 0814875
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0814875.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral eye disability, including cataracts and a choroidal nevus affecting the left eye, is not attributable to active military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including inadequate VA examinations and ineffective assignment of an effective date. A new VA examination is required to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral dry eye syndrome and cataracts, with a focus on whether a separate compensable rating for dry eye syndrome is warranted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral cataracts and status-post eye surgery, finding that the conditions are not related to service or in-service exposures.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied a rating greater than 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, type II, with bilateral cataracts and total disability based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) as the evidence did not support an increase in the Veteran's ratings or entitlement to TDIU.
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