The Board grants the claim of service connection for retinitis pigmentosa, which was first manifested during the veteran's second period of active service.
The deciding factor: The progression of the disease was caused by or a result of the natural history of the disease and was not due to or a result of his military service. However, the Board finds that there is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the merits of the issue, and under the 'benefit-of-the-doubt' rule, the veteran shall prevail upon the issue.
- Claimed conditions
- retinitis pigmentosa, senile cataracts, refractive error
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2008
- Citation
- 0816552
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right eye disorder, including senile cataracts and small recurrent nasal pterygium, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or related to military 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an eye disorder, including refractive error, as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's current condition and his active service.
- Granted
The veteran's claim for service connection of a vision disability, including glaucoma, astigmatism, refractive error, and presbyopia, is granted. The Board found that the onset of these conditions was during active duty.
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