The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right eye disorder, finding that his amblyopia was a congenital defect and not related to service. The cataracts and retinopathy were found to be unrelated to active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran’s pre-existing amblyopia did not worsen during service and that any current eye conditions (cataracts, retinopathy) are not causally related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- right eye amblyopia, right eye cataract, right eye retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194194
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,820 · Granted: 26% (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 19194194.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings and SMC have been remanded due to regulatory changes affecting the rating of eyes on May 13, 2018. The AOJ is instructed to consider both old and new criteria for rating eye disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for tinnitus is granted. Claims for right eye cataract, foot pain, lung cancer, hypertension, heart disability, PVD and bilateral iliac artery stents, interstitial lung disease, COPD, and benign prostate condition are denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his presumed exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to provide proper notice of the Veteran's right to a hearing before the AOJ prior to the April 2021 rating decision on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right eye conditions due to a lack of substantial compliance with a previous remand.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.