The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for a back disability, an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, and bilateral eye disabilities. The evidence received since the February 1990 rating decision is sufficient to reopen these claims.
The deciding factor: New evidence includes diagnoses of degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, major depressive disorder, pain disorder, anxiety disorder, and corneal scarring of the left eye, which raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, Lumbar compression fractures, Lumbar spondylosis, Acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD (including psychosis d/o, major depressive disorder, pain disorder, anxiety disorder, mental retardation, mood disorder, and schizoaffective disorder), Bilateral cataracts, Corneal scarring of the left eye, Herpetic keratitis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2016
- Citation
- 1607076
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 1607076.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his low back disability is being remanded due to the reduction in evaluation from 40 percent to 20 percent effective May 31, 2014. The RO needs to provide updated VA treatment records and schedule a VA examination to determine the current severity of the disability.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral eye disability, including cataracts and a choroidal nevus affecting the left eye, is not attributable to active military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's cervical strain with spinal fusion is rated at 20 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating.,The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine is rated at 20 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating.
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