The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding negligence in referral and post-operative care, as well as the potential unforeseeability of blindness resulting from cataract surgery.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for additional medical opinions regarding the cause of the Veteran's left eye blindness and whether VA's actions were negligent or unforeseeable.
- Claimed conditions
- blindness of the left eye
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19195184
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (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 19195184.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 appeal for service connection of blindness was dismissed. The appeals for hypertension, diabetes rating, and TDIU were remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for open angle glaucoma and blindness of the left eye is granted. The case is also remanded to attempt verification of in-service exposure to chemicals, including tear gas, during basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri from November 1979 to April 1980. If confirmed, a new medical opinion will be obtained regarding whether open angle glaucoma and blindness were caused by such exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee disability and blindness of the left eye, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and active service.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his claim for service connection for blindness of the left eye, and the Board has dismissed this appeal.
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