The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for blindness due to optic neuritis of the right eye, finding that VA did not cause the disability and that there was no evidence of fault on VA's part.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion stated that the appropriate treatment was prescribed by VA staff, including a referral for the Veteran’s vision to an eye specialist. There is no evidence of delay in diagnosis or treatment, nor misdiagnosis as glaucoma at his first visit in March 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- Optic neuritis, Blindness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2020
- Citation
- A20008981
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 A20008981.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and examination, as well as readjudication.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection for multiple sclerosis and other conditions, as VA did not receive a claim within one year of separation from service or prior to February 6, 2023.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the Veteran's blindness, finding that it was a reasonably foreseeable complication of his VA heart surgery. The claim for service connection for peripheral artery disease was remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of August 28, 2018 for a 30 percent rating for optic neuritis with right eye intermediate uveitis. The decision found that there was no evidence of increased severity within one year prior to the claim.
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