The Veteran's blindness was not incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence that the Veteran's current blindness is causally or etiologically related to any incident in service, and it first manifested many years after service.
- Claimed conditions
- blindness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2009
- Citation
- 0908641
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the request to readjudicate the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, but denied the claim itself.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for blindness and urinary incontinence were dismissed due to the lack of a decision by the AOJ addressing these claims prior to the filing of the VA Form 10182.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a right eye disability, to include open angle glaucoma and blindness, for further development of evidence related to exposure to tear gas during basic training.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of September 6, 2005, for the grants of service connection and special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance (for accrued purposes only) associated with diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.