The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion regarding his eyes and a VA examination to assess his gout. The issues of service connection for the eyes and for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for gout are now before the Board.
The deciding factor: The decision is remanded due to inaccuracies in the factual basis and insufficient range of motion testing provided by the VA examiner, as per Correia v. McDonald (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin (2017).
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pre-glaucoma, cataracts, corneal scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002859
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cataracts, finding that there was no medical evidence linking the condition to his active service or a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for special monthly pension (SMP) based on the need for regular aid and attendance or housebound status is remanded to ensure that the appellant receives every possible consideration, including a new VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left eye disorder, including amblyopia and other conditions, as there was no evidence of aggravation beyond their natural progression during the Veteran's periods of active duty.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for pulmonary nodules and remanded the claims for hypertension, thyroid nodules, valvular heart disease, cataracts, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction due to missing records and inadequate opinions.
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.