The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right eye disability was denied in October and November 1985. The next claim for service connection was filed on July 21, 2010. The Board finds that the effective date of July 21, 2010 is proper as there were no additional relevant records associated with the claims file at the time of the earlier denials.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim was denied in 1985 due to lack of evidence of service connection. The next claim for service connection was filed after all relevant service records had been considered, and there were no additional records that would have supported a different outcome.
- Claimed conditions
- right eye aphakia, postoperative cataract removal
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 11, 2017
- Citation
- 1726340
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1726340.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's right eye aphakia has resulted in complete blindness, and he is now entitled to a 40 percent rating for this condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left eye cataract and granted an increased rating of 40 percent for right eye aphakia, but did not grant SMC based on blindness of the right eye.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for right eye aphakia and postoperative cataract removal, finding that the decision was final due to lack of appeal or new and material evidence within one year. The Veteran's next claim for service connection was filed on July 21, 2010.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA eye examination and the obtaining of any outstanding VA treatment records.
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