The Board denied service connection for a visual disorder, finding that the Veteran's eye disorders are not related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found that the Veteran's bilateral eye disorders were due to aging and systemic steroid use, rather than his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- visual disorder, bilateral nuclear sclerotic cataract, right eye posterior subcapsular cataract
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19128904
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.
- Denied
The veteran's claimed conditions of asthma, diabetes mellitus, and a visual disorder were not incurred or aggravated by service. The appeal is denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
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.