The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for a right eye disability, diabetes mellitus type II, and bilateral shoulder and arm disabilities due to lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking any of the claimed conditions to the appellant’s active duty service. The only diagnosed condition related to service is the right eye disability, which was caused by a non-service-related incident involving a gun accident.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Right Eye Aphakia","diagnosis_date":null,"treatment_notes":"December 2018 VA optometry note provided diagnoses of right eye aphakia and retinal scarring, as well as bilateral allergic conjunctivitis."}, {"condition_name":"Right Eye Retinal Scarring","diagnosis_date":null,"treatment_notes":"December 2018 VA optometry note provided diagnoses of right eye aphakia and retinal scarring, as well as bilateral allergic conjunctivitis."}, {"condition_name":"Right Eye Optic Neuropathy","diagnosis_date":null,"treatment_notes":"June 1992 record notes a diagnosis of right eye optic neuropathy due to a right eye injury. Subsequent November 2011, December 2012, March 2018 and December 2018 treatment records all state that the appellant’s right eye disability, specifically the retinal scarring, aphakia and optic neuropathy, is causally related to the January 1992 accident involving the gun."}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral Allergic Conjunctivitis","diagnosis_date":null,"treatment_notes":"December 2018 VA optometry note provided diagnoses of right eye aphakia and retinal scarring, as well as bilateral allergic conjunctivitis."}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral Refractive Error","diagnosis_date":null,"treatment_notes":"38 C.F.R. § 3.303(c). As such, service connection for bilateral refractive error cannot be granted, and this diagnosis will not be addressed further."}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19194929
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 19194929.
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
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