The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral eye disorder, finding that his preexisting esophoria (latent strabismus) worsened to become esotropia and caused diplopia during service. The condition was considered to be due to the natural progression of the congenital disease.
The deciding factor: The Board found clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's eye disorder preexisted service, but also found that it did not worsen during service.
- Claimed conditions
- esophoria (latent strabismus), strabismus esotropia, diplopia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109757
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,199 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19109757.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability, meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU throughout the appeal period. However, conflicting work history makes it impossible to determine his employment status during the period on appeal.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for diplopia was denied as the evidence did not support finding that his diplopia is constant or causes incapacitating episodes. The Board found that the Veteran's visual acuity and field loss were within normal limits, and thus, he does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under DC 6090.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 21, 2019, for a 20 percent disability rating for diplopia secondary to fracture of the left orbital floor.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's bilateral eye disability, specifically chorioretinal scars with diplopia, is now rated at 30 percent effective from the date of claim (July 30, 2014).
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