The Board has granted service connection for pterygium but has remanded the issue of service connection for an eye disability other than keratoconjunctivitis sicca and pterygium.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's pterygium had its onset in service, leading to a finding of service connection. The remanded issue involves additional diagnoses such as blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction.
- Claimed conditions
- pterygium, keratoconjunctivitis sicca
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20026082
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 20026082.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's acquired eye disorders are secondary to his service-connected hepatitis. The Veteran seeks service connection for these conditions, which include cataracts, strabismus amblyopia, choroidal nevus, and pterygium.
- Dismissed
The appeal regarding service connection for pterygium and paralysis of the median nerve of the bilateral arms was dismissed due to an untimely Board Appeal Request.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of the claims for service connection for lumbar and thoracic spine disabilities based on new evidence, but remanded all other issues for further development.
- Dismissed
The claim for a compensable rating for dry eye syndrome was dismissed due to untimely filing of the Notice of Disagreement (NOD). The Board will remand the service connection claim for an eye disorder, including corneal ulcer, pterygium, pinguecula, retinal fibrosis, arcus senilis, anterior toxic cortical cataract, superficial punctate keratitis (SPK), and visual field constriction.
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