The Veteran is seeking service connection for CRVO of the right eye, which he claims was caused by exposure to mustard gas during training. The Board finds a pre-decisional duty to assist error and orders further development including checking the Department of Defense and VA Chemical Biological Warfare Exposure System database.
The deciding factor: There was no verification of the Veteran's exposure to mustard gas due to his service with the 305th Chemical Company at Fort McClellan from July 11, 1964 to July 25, 1964.
- Claimed conditions
- Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) of the right eye
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2020
- Citation
- A20015568
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,199 · Granted: 25% (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 A20015568.
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 Veteran's central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) of the right eye is not considered to be due to VA medical treatment, and the Board finds that it was not caused by a stress test performed in September 2004. The preponderance of evidence does not support the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service connected due to his fear of hostile military activity during his Vietnam service.
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