The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left eye glaucoma and chorioretinal scar is remanded due to the need for updated medical records and an examination. Additionally, the earlier effective date claim related to the August 2010 rating decision is improper.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's free-standing earlier effective date claim was improperly addressed in the December 2018 SOC because it was a freestanding claim for an increased rating and not an appeal of the effective date assigned in the August 2017 rating decision. The earlier effective date claim should have been addressed through a motion to revise the decision on the basis of CUE.
- Claimed conditions
- left eye glaucoma, chorioretinal scar with mild visual field loss, angle-closure glaucoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20000354
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 20000354.
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 claims for service connection for depression, insomnia, diabetes mellitus type II, left eye glaucoma, and right eye glaucoma due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's service records indicate exposure to burn pits during his Southwest theater of operations.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left eye glaucoma, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for left eye glaucoma and denied increased ratings for an acquired psychiatric disorder, left knee surgical scars. The claims for increased ratings for left knee degenerative arthritis and status post reconstructive surgery, as well as for bilateral hearing loss, were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a new VA opinion to address in-service symptoms and whether any non-refractive eye condition or superimposed disease or injury is present.
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.