The Veteran's claim for service connection for retinitis pigmentosa was granted with an effective date of January 25, 2002. However, the grant of SMC based on blindness in both eyes is denied as the Veteran does not have a disability rating constituting blindness prior to February 27, 2009.
The deciding factor: The claim for service connection was raised as part of the Veteran's January 25, 2002 claim for a bilateral eye condition and the evidence showed that retinitis pigmentosa first manifested in November 1988.
- Claimed conditions
- retinitis pigmentosa
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 29, 2020
- Citation
- A20019302
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 A20019302.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the motion to revise a 1968 rating decision denying service connection for retinitis pigmentosa due to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa, finding no evidence of a nexus to active service.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of January 3, 2001, for service connection for retinitis pigmentosa based on the re-evaluation of previously unassociated service treatment records.
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