The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for a right eye disability, including cataracts, finding that his current disabilities are not at least as likely as not related to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no link between the appellant’s in-service injury and his current diagnosed conditions of age-related macular degeneration, pseudophakia (due to senile cataract), and convergence insufficiency with hypertropia. The Board assigned more probative weight to these medical opinions than to the appellant's lay assertions.
- Claimed conditions
- right eye cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, pseudophakia (due to senile cataract), convergence insufficiency with hypertropia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19180865
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,810 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19180865.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right eye retinal detachment and remanded the claims for right eye cataracts and choroidal hemangioma for further development.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to December 3, 2019. The Board found that the Veteran had a high rating for his Meniere's disease and sleep apnea but was capable of performing employment duties.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, specifically the lack of a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's eye disabilities are related to service. The AOJ is required to obtain a VA opinion on this issue.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for anxiety and mood swings, PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, heart disorder, erectile dysfunction, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), sinusitis and rhinitis, right eye cataracts, left eye cataracts, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder. The Board found no in-service psychological injury or event leading to the current disabilities.
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