The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right eye disability, finding that there is no competent and credible evidence of an eye disability in service or linking it to an in-service injury.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s right eye condition is less likely than not the result of an MVA during active service and questioned the validity of his visual field loss test results.
- Claimed conditions
- visual field defect, right optic nerve atrophy, right pterygium
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20020631
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 20020631.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a visual field defect and/or degenerative retinal drunsens/senile macular degeneration, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and his active duty service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for multiple conditions and denied higher initial ratings for several service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than October 14, 2009 and a higher initial rating for dry eyes with visual field defect were denied. The Board found that the earliest effective date possible was October 14, 2009, as it is the date of claim. The Veteran did not have incapacitating episodes or other conditions warranting a higher initial rating.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's application for specially adapted housing due to his service-connected disabilities that affect his mobility and require a wheelchair and assistive devices.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.