The Board denied the veteran's petition to reopen his previously denied claim for service connection for bilateral keratoconus, finding no new and material evidence. The veteran's personal statements asserting that he developed keratoconus during military service were not considered 'new' as they had been previously addressed.
The deciding factor: The additional evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim or provide new facts necessary to reopen the case.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral keratoconus
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2008
- Citation
- 0818688
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 0818688.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral keratoconus, but remanded the claim for right ankle tendonitis.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cellulitis and remanded claims for allergic rhinitis, eczema, bilateral keratoconus, sinusitis, and knee conditions due to incomplete records and need for further development.
- Whole decision: Granted
The veteran is granted an initial 20 percent rating for chronic allergic conjunctivitis with bilateral blepharitis, bilateral dry eye syndrome, and bilateral keratoconus. Additionally, a separate initial 10 percent rating is granted for decreased visual acuity due to bilateral keratoconus.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the appeal, finding that the severance of service connection for bilateral keratoconus was proper due to an erroneous factual finding.
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