The Veteran's current refractive error is considered a congenital or developmental defect of the eyes and not a disease or injury within the meaning of applicable legislation relating to service connection. Service connection for cataracts is also not warranted as there was no disease, injury, or trauma to the eyes in service.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of an event or trauma to the eyes in service that resulted in additional disability, and the Veteran's current refractive error is considered congenital or developmental defects of the eyes.
- Claimed conditions
- refractive error, NVS cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19150268
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 Board denied service connection for an eye disorder, including refractive error, as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's current condition and his active service.
- Granted
The veteran's claim for service connection of a vision disability, including glaucoma, astigmatism, refractive error, and presbyopia, is granted. The Board found that the onset of these conditions was during active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for a vision disability, as additional development is needed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an eye disability to schedule a new VA examination and obtain medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed conditions, including whether they are related to service or secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.
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