The Board denied service connection for bilateral diabetic retinopathy with pseudophakia, depression, fatigue, and communication difficulties (speech) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected Meniere’s disease with bilateral hearing loss. The rating assigned for Meniere’s disease was 80 percent.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the current disabilities to service or a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral diabetic retinopathy with pseudophakia, depression, fatigue, communication difficulties (speech), Meniere’s disease with bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- July 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18117975
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 18117975.
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 has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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