The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic retinopathy, to include as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus is being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining missing service treatment records and providing an addendum medical opinion.
The deciding factor: Additional development is required to obtain missing service treatment records and provide a comprehensive medical opinion regarding the etiology of any diagnosed eye disabilities, particularly those related to service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic retinopathy, pseudophakia, dermachalasis of both upper lids, conjunctivochalasis, trichiasis of the left lower lid, corneal arcus, posterior vitreous detachment OS, astigmatism, hyperopia, myopia, presbyopia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1757671
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 1757671.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for asthma, hypertension with residuals including stroke, DM II, bilateral amputation of all toes, and diabetic neuropathy to obtain VA medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions.,The Board also remanded the claim for ED as it is inextricably intertwined with the DM II claim.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial ratings for diabetes and diabetic retinopathy were denied. The Board found that the current ratings adequately reflect the severity of his symptoms, including his need for eye injections to treat his diabetic retinopathy.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all the listed conditions in April 2024 and March 2025, thus dismissing the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to duty-to-assist errors, including failing to obtain SSA records and VA medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's left eye disability is secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
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