The Board denied the veteran's claims for an effective date of September 24, 1965 for a 40% evaluation for retinitis pigmentosa and for an effective date prior to October 25, 1977 for special monthly compensation on account of blindness in one eye.,The medical evidence did not establish the required visual acuity levels for blindness or loss of use in either eye.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence showed that the veteran's visual acuity was not light perception only until October 25, 1977, and thus did not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation on account of blindness.
- Claimed conditions
- retinitis pigmentosa
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2008
- Citation
- 0837155
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 0837155.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the motion to revise a 1968 rating decision denying service connection for retinitis pigmentosa due to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa, finding no evidence of a nexus to active 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.
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