The Veteran's dry eye syndrome and bilateral cataracts have been granted service connection. The Veteran is also awarded a non-compensable rating for his right long finger disability, but denied an initial compensable rating for his right ring finger disability. His hearing loss has been increased to 10 percent as of March 24, 2017.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided conflicting opinions regarding the etiology and nature of the Veteran's eye disabilities (dry eye syndrome and bilateral cataracts). The right long finger disability was found to have no significant impairment. The right ring finger disability did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 5230.
- Claimed conditions
- dry eye syndrome, bilateral cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19146218
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 granted service connection for left eye conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma and remanded the issue of service connection for an eye disability other than left eye conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma, to include dry eye syndrome and pinguecula.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for a mental health condition and denied service connection for an eye condition. The claims for autoimmune limbic encephalitis with non-paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (NPLE) with GAD65 antibodies and dystonia and dystonic tremor were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for eye conditions, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction and left eye retinopathy. However, it denied increased ratings for multiple peripheral neuropathies, hypertension, and status post tympanoplasty.
- Dismissed
The Veteran has withdrawn the appeal for service connection and higher ratings, requesting to submit supplemental claims instead.
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