The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for additional medical examination and opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's blindness following left eye surgery. The issue is not about service connection, but rather compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.
The deciding factor: The examiner needs to determine if the vitrectomy probe complication during macular repair was due to carelessness or negligence on VA's part and whether it was an unforeseeable event.
- Claimed conditions
- blindness in left eye, macular hole
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2018
- Citation
- 18104189
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 18104189.
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 case due to concerns about the Veteran's right eye disability worsening and his history of blindness in his left eye. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected right eye disability, including any related issues like dizziness and falling.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hypothyroidism disability is rated at 0 percent, and the Board finds duty to assist errors occurred prior to the October 2023 rating decision. The issue of a compensable evaluation for service-connected hypothyroidism must be remanded.,The Veteran's entitlement to a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities is also remanded due to duty to assist errors.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for blindness in the left eye as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II. The issue of entitlement to special monthly compensation based on blindness is remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and related conditions are denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,Service connection for diabetic retinopathy is also denied as there is no direct or secondary link to the Veteran's diabetes.
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