The Board found no evidence of exposure to radiation, tactical herbicides, environmental hazards, mustard gas, or lewisite during service. The Veteran's current eye and skin disabilities are not related to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence to support the Veteran’s claims for service connection based on direct incurrence or secondary to in-service exposure to hazardous materials or radiation.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy with legal blindness, nummular dermatitis, right hip sacroiliac arthropathy and mild degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 10, 2017
- Citation
- 1732408
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 1732408.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic fungal infections of the skin and punctate palmoplantar keratoderma, but denied service connection for scleroderma and nummular dermatitis.
- Granted
The Board has waived the 60-day timeliness requirement for filing a substantive appeal and accepted the March 2020 VA Form 9 as timely. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating, service connection, and TDIU are all granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for dermatitis and eczema due to insufficient examination addressing all diagnosed skin conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a skin condition, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his in-service reports or exposure to herbicides.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.