The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed eye conditions are not related to his military service or his service-connected diabetes. The low back disability, metatarsalgia, hearing loss, and tinnitus have also been denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners could not provide a nexus opinion without resorting to speculation due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's current conditions to his military service or any other known causes.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral optic neuropathy, Decreased vision, Eye diseases
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2014
- Citation
- 1441097
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 1441097.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for auditory neuropathy, bilateral optic neuropathy, vestibular disorder including BPPV and Meniere's disease, and inner back neuropathy due to the lack of diagnosed conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for herpes zoster and its residuals, including iritis, keratoconjunctivitis, uveitis, left eye pain, decreased vision, dry eye, episcleritis, astigmatism, myopia, left eyelid changes, and left eye glaucoma is granted. The Veteran's right and left wrist disability claim is denied. The Veteran's residuals of heat-related injury claim is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional evidentiary development, including a VA SMP aid and attendance/housebound examination. The Veteran's need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound will be assessed based on his current disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's current eye disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The Board found no competent evidence linking the Veteran's decreased vision to his in-service symptoms and determined that there is no continuity of symptomatology since his active service.
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