The Board has remanded the case due to the need for updated treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits information. The Veteran may be in receipt of SSA disability benefits due to his reported blindness from cataract surgery.
The deciding factor: Updated medical records are needed to determine if the Veteran is entitled to service connection for his eye disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hypertensive retinopathy, right eye epiretinal membrane
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176724
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right eye ischemic optic neuropathy, which is caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected hypertension. The appeal was remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding other eye disorders and toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hypertensive retinopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension and remanded claims for an initial compensable rating for an unspecified eating disorder, a rating in excess of 10 percent for hypertension, and a TDIU (excluding period from July 27, 2005 to May 28, 2024 when the Veteran was incarcerated).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board finds that there is a further VA duty to assist the Veteran in developing evidence pertinent to his claims for service connection for a left inguinal hernia, hypertension, and bilateral hypertensive retinopathy.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.