The Board denied the Veteran's attempts to reopen his claims of entitlement to service connection for residuals of bilateral conjunctivitis and corneal abrasion, as well as a dry eye condition. The evidence submitted did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.
The deciding factor: The new evidence did not show any relationship between the Veteran's current diagnosed conditions and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of bilateral conjunctivitis and corneal abrasion, dry eye condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19115841
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 940 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19115841.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA decision denying enrollment in the PCAFC program was not based on a proper application of the law and regulations, specifically regarding the definition of 'supervision, protection, or instruction' under 38 C.F.R. § 71.15. The Board therefore remands the case for further action.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a dry eye condition to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding its relationship to service and any service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits due to service-connected disabilities, finding that entitlement did not arise until July 16, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's dry eye condition is secondary to his service-connected sleep apnea and chronic allergic rhinitis. The VA needs to obtain an opinion that addresses these issues.
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.