The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have diabetic retinopathy and that any vision loss is due to refractive error, not his service-connected diabetes mellitus. Therefore, service connection for an eye disorder claimed as diabetic retinopathy is denied.
The deciding factor: There is no objective evidence of diabetic retinopathy in the Veteran's medical records, and the VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's loss of vision, including cataracts, is not caused by or a result of diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2010
- Citation
- 1003865
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 1003865.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied an effective date prior to April 11, 2013, for the award of service connection for diabetic retinopathy and grade 2+ anterior vacuoles due to a lack of evidence indicating an intent to apply for benefits or communication related to these conditions before that date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy, chronic kidney disease, a heart disability, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, a colon disability, major depressive disorder, and diabetes mellitus, type 2. The claims for PTSD, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, type 2, and hypertension were denied.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during its pendency.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy as a secondary condition to the Veteran's service-connected type II diabetes mellitus.
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