The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral eye disability, including macular degeneration. The decision is based on the need to obtain additional medical records and clarify the relationship between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
The deciding factor: There was not substantial compliance with the Board’s May 2018 remand directives regarding obtaining morning reports and sick reports from the Veteran's active duty service period.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral eye disability, macular degeneration
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20002681
Veterans Law Judge
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 20002681.
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 case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically failing to obtain an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current bilateral eye disability is related to service exposure to burn pits. The AOJ should obtain such an opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for a bilateral eye disability due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board has denied the claim for service connection for macular degeneration due to a finding of clear and unmistakable error in the AOJ's decision, as no new and relevant evidence was presented or secured with the supplemental claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for seizure disorder and macular degeneration due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ must obtain a TERA Memorandum and medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran was exposed to chemicals or solvents while stationed at Fort McClellan during his service, and if so, whether these exposures are related to his claimed conditions.
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