The Board has determined that the effective date for service connection of bilateral photophobia should be March 13, 2001. The Veteran's claim was filed on this date and he expressed his intent to seek benefits related to his condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's March 13, 2001 statement demonstrated his belief in entitlement to a benefit based on his photophobia and indicated an intention to file for service connection. The Court found that the initial claim form did not constitute an informal claim for service connection for photophobia until this date.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral photophobia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- February 29, 2012
- Citation
- 1207666
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 1207666.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral photophobia and TBI with depression have been granted service connection, and the rating for TBI with depression has been increased to 70 percent. The issues of a compensable rating for tension headaches and entitlement to TDIU are being remanded.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a disability of the eyes, other than bilateral photophobia, as there was no evidence to support a nexus between the Veteran's eye conditions and his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation throughout the appeal period.
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