The Board has ordered a new examination to determine whether the Veteran's other eye disabilities are related to his service-connected minimal hyperemia of the eyes, and to distinguish any visual impairment or disfigurement due to service-connected minimal hyperemia from that due to other diagnosed eye disorders.
The deciding factor: The examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether any other eye disabilities are proximately caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected minimal hyperemia of the eyes, and to distinguish between visual impairment related to service-connected minimal hyperemia and that due to other diagnosed eye disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- conjunctivitis, chronic, bilaterally, nuclear sclerotic cataracts, open angle glaucoma, dry eye syndrome, dry macular degeneration
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2014
- Citation
- 1415829
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 1415829.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal of entitlement to service connection for dry eye syndrome claimed as visual impairment, including blurry vision, blindness, double vision due to procedural error. The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied because there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of sleep apnea.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for OSA is denied as his sleep apnea has not been manifested by persistent daytime hypersomnolence or required use of a breathing assistance device such as a CPAP machine.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for dry eye syndrome and an increased rating for left knee disability are remanded due to procedural errors in the adjudication process.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's dry eye syndrome and conjunctivitis, including any potential service connection or toxic exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and SMC have been remanded due to regulatory changes affecting the rating of eyes on May 13, 2018. The AOJ is instructed to consider both old and new criteria for rating eye disabilities.
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