The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for deteriorating eyesight in the left eye, an increased rating for panic disorder, and a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current left eye disability or his panic disorder to active service. The veteran's service-connected disabilities are not severe enough to prevent him from engaging in employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.
- Claimed conditions
- Deteriorating eyesight in the left eye, Damage to the left eye due to treatment at a VA facility in 2001, Panic disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2009
- Citation
- 0901249
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder, other than posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), variously diagnosed as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, and panic disorder.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a total disability rating for compensation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU) prior to November 30, 2021, and basic eligibility for Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits effective October 26, 2020. The increased disability rating claim was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The claims for service connection for migraines and scars of the extremities/trunk were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of August 31, 2017, for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, but dismissed the appeal for an earlier effective date for a 40 percent evaluation assigned for lumbar strain prior to July 10, 2017.
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