The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for diabetic retinopathy and bilateral cataracts was denied as there is no evidence of any incapacitating episodes or visual impairment that would warrant a higher rating.
The deciding factor: There were no documented incapacitating episodes requiring treatment visits, nor did the Veteran have visual acuity or field loss severe enough to meet the criteria for higher ratings under the revised VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Diabetic Retinopathy, Bilateral Cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19165313
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 19165313.
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 the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for diabetic retinopathy as there were no incapacitating episodes or visual impairment.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a higher rating for diabetes mellitus type II, a compensable rating for diabetic retinopathy, and an earlier effective date for the grant of a 40 percent rating for residuals of left thalamic stroke with neurogenic bladder. However, TDIU was granted.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type 2 and its associated complications.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings for his service-connected conditions.
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