The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a compensable disability for service connection purposes, as his vision impairment is due to refractive error and not disease or injury incurred in service. Therefore, the claim of service connection for bilateral defective vision is denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran's visual acuity was normal at both entrance and separation from service, and there is no evidence of any eye disease or injury during service that would support a finding of service connection for his current vision impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral defective vision
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2008
- Citation
- 0837475
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 0837475.
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 denied the claims for earlier effective dates and service connection, as the evidence did not support the Veteran's assertions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a bilateral eye disorder, including red eyes, defective vision, and diabetic retinopathy. The January 2015 rating decision found that the vision impairment during service was due to a congenital or developmental defect (refractive error) and did not meet the criteria for service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to incomplete STRs and the need for additional examinations.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found no evidence of a service-connected eye injury resulting in current vision impairment and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.