The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral glaucoma was denied. The Veteran also had his initial disability evaluation for bilateral glaucoma (rated at 20%) denied as there is no evidence showing that the condition worsened since he was discharged from service in 1994.
The deciding factor: The claim for an earlier effective date was not supported by any evidence of a formal or informal claim filed prior to June 27, 2011. The Veteran's initial disability evaluation for bilateral glaucoma is at the maximum allowable under VA regulations and there is no evidence showing that his condition has worsened since he was discharged from service in 1994.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Glaucoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 23, 2020
- Citation
- A20017329
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 A20017329.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral glaucoma prior to February 1, 2025 is denied as the disability did not result in decreased corrected visual acuity or other impairment that would warrant a higher rating.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date for a 70 percent evaluation for bilateral glaucoma to include dry eye syndrome, beginning August 31, 2021.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection for PTSD and bilateral glaucoma were granted, with the earliest effective date being July 25, 2018.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to determine the impacts of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities on his ability to care for himself and his need for aid and attendance.
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