The Board has granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy of the bilateral eyes, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus. The issues regarding mild visual field contraction and cataracts have been remanded.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established on a secondary basis as the Veteran's diabetic retinopathy is found to be caused by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic retinopathy of the left eye, diabetic retinopathy of the right eye, mild visual field contraction of the left eye, cataracts of the left eye, cataracts of the right eye
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19120437
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (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 19120437.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted readjudication of the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new and relevant evidence submitted since the June 2024 decision. The issues remain remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right eye dry eyes, cataracts of the left and right eyes, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, left renal arteriovenous malformation, aneurysm, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, recurrent subluxation of the left knee prior to May 13, 2020, left total knee replacement, disability rating in excess of 60 percent from September 1, 2021, forward for left total knee replacement, DJD of the right knee, right knee instability, burns of the bilateral ankles, linear scar of the left knee, post-surgical tender scars of the left knee, and a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based upon service-connected disabilities prior to June 14, 2019.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for feet calluses and cataracts of the left eye, granted an initial 10 percent rating for dry eye syndrome of the left eye, and denied a 10 percent rating based on multiple non-compensable disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral foot condition, including plantar fasciitis and degenerative arthritis. Service connection for diabetic retinopathy of the left eye as secondary to nonservice connected diabetes is denied.
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.