The Board has ordered a remand to clarify the presence or absence of diabetic retinopathy and its relationship to the Veteran's service-connected type II diabetes mellitus, as well as address any other relevant issues related to his eye disability.
The deciding factor: The examiner was not able to provide an adequate explanation regarding the discrepancy in findings for diabetic retinopathy and must therefore provide a new opinion on this matter.
- Claimed conditions
- Eye disability, Diabetic retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2013
- Citation
- 1305653
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 1305653.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his bilateral lower extremity neuropathy due to diabetes mellitus, have resulted in loss of use of both lower extremities. The Board has granted eligibility for specially adapted housing and dismissed the claim for a special home adaptation grant as moot.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an eye disability and a headache disability as secondary to his service-connected hypertension. The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type I and related conditions due to a need for additional development of the record.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, kidney condition, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, and tinnitus.
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