The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disability. The new evidence submitted includes statements and testimony from the Veteran alleging continuity of symptoms since his period of active service, which is considered material to reopening the claim. However, the Board finds that there is no clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's current bilateral eye disability was preexisting or aggravated by service. Service connection for blood clots and heart disability are also not established based on the available evidence.
The deciding factor: The new evidence submitted does not establish a pre-existing condition of the right ankle disability, but rather suggests continuity of symptoms since service. The Veteran's current bilateral eye disability is attributed to in-service exposure to solar glare, which is considered material evidence for reopening the claim. However, there is no clear and unmistakable evidence that this condition was either preexisting or aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle disability, bilateral eye disability (claimed as vision loss), blood clots, heart disability
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2011
- Citation
- 1127117
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 1127117.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left, right ankle disabilities, left and right hip disabilities, left and right shin splints, and left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate nexus opinions in the VA examination reports. The Veteran contends that her current disabilities are related to injuries sustained during basic training.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence received, and a need for additional medical opinions considering the Veteran's military occupation as a water safety survival instructor.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection effective August 10, 2022. The heart disability was granted secondary to the hypertension.,An initial rating of 30% for the heart disability was granted in May 2023 and increased to 60% since October 22, 2024.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for effective dates and initial ratings have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his appeal by his representative.
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