The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine whether the Veteran's right eye corneal transplant, with resulting glaucoma, optic atrophy, and pseudophakia, is related to his in-service flash burn and shrapnel injury. The referral to the Director of Compensation Service for an extraschedular rating under 38 C.F.R. § 3.321(b) has also been requested.
The deciding factor: The Board found conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran's right eye corneal transplant is a progression of his service-connected disability or a separate and distinct condition, necessitating further examination to clarify this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- corneal scarring, corneal transplant (performed in 2003 and 2013), nuclear cataract
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19192245
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19192245.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for scleritis with nuclear cataract and dry eye syndrome, as secondary to hypertension due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed eye disability.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's left eye disability, including corneal scarring and a previous corneal abrasion with lensectomy, is being remanded for further evaluation due to a duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied readjudication of the claim for service connection for a bilateral eye condition because no new and relevant evidence was submitted to reopen the claim, despite the submission of additional post-service clinical records and lay statements.
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