The Veteran's initial disability rating for service-connected residuals of cataract surgery of the left eye was granted at a 10 percent level, effective from February 11, 2003. The appeal is denied as there is no evidence of blindness in the non-service-connected right eye.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's pre-surgery visual acuity in the left eye was 20/200 and post-surgery it became only light perception (blindness). As the non-service-connected right eye had a better than 20/40 vision, the loss of sight in the left eye alone did not meet the criteria for blindness.
- Claimed conditions
- Detached retina, Cataract surgery
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 13, 2014
- Citation
- 1401508
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 1401508.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claim for service connection of detached retina due to new and relevant evidence submitted since the March 2019 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to incomplete records. Specifically, the Board requests that VA obtain his treatment records from the Buffalo VA Medical Center and Retina Consultants of Western New York.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of the cost of medical services received at Central Florida Hospital on August 21, 2014 is granted. The treatment was deemed to be emergency care and a VA facility was not feasibly available.
- Denied
The Veteran's TBI prior to October 23, 2008 is manifested by purely subjective complaints such as headaches and weakness associated with syringomyelia. No objective neurological deficits or diagnoses have been established.
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