The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for an eye disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a secondary relationship between his diabetes and his diagnosed eye conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA expert opinion provided detailed explanations for why the Veteran’s bilateral macular degeneration, bilateral cataracts-pseudophakia, bilateral refractive error, and right eye ocular hypertension are not related to or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetic retinopathy, bilateral macular degeneration, bilateral cataracts-pseudophakia, bilateral refractive error, right eye ocular hypertension
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19162778
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 19162778.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied an effective date prior to April 11, 2013, for the award of service connection for diabetic retinopathy and grade 2+ anterior vacuoles due to a lack of evidence indicating an intent to apply for benefits or communication related to these conditions before that date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy, chronic kidney disease, a heart disability, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, a colon disability, major depressive disorder, and diabetes mellitus, type 2. The claims for PTSD, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, type 2, and hypertension were denied.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during its pendency.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy as a secondary condition to the Veteran's service-connected type II diabetes mellitus.
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