The Board denied service connection for bilateral nuclear cataracts, finding that the Veteran's condition was not related to his in-service exposure to radiation. The evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA Co-Director of Environmental Health Programs concluded that there was no reasonable possibility that the Veteran's nuclear cataracts were caused by in-service radiation exposure, based on the dose data provided and the International Commission on Radiological Protection's threshold for radiation-induced cataracts.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral nuclear cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 26, 2017
- Citation
- 1724102
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 1724102.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for eye disabilities, to include retinopathy, bilateral nuclear cataracts, bilateral dermatochalasis, dry eye, and pinguecula, as the prior VA medical opinion regarding aggravation was found to be conclusory and lacked necessary medical reasoning.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claim for a higher rating for diabetes mellitus type II was denied due to failure to attend a VA examination. The claims for service connection for a cardiovascular disability and TDIU were remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral nuclear cataracts and chorioretinal scars.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's eye disabilities and their relation to his service in Vietnam. The case will be reviewed again with a focus on the PACT Act provisions for toxic exposure risk activities.
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