The Board has decided to remand the case due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral eye diabetic retinopathy is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The examiner must opine whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's bilateral eye disability, including diabetic retinopathy, was caused or permanently aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral eye diabetic retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19130485
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for various conditions, including neck disability manifested by pain and diabetes mellitus type II, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee degenerative arthritis. The other conditions were also granted as they are caused by the now-service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.
- Dismissed
The veteran's appeals for higher ratings were dismissed because he withdrew all pending claims and appeals.
- 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.
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