The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether any current right eye condition, other than a refractive error, was incurred during service or aggravated by exposure to hazardous materials like trichloroethylene (TCE). The Veteran's medical records need to be updated and an examination should be conducted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran’s claims for service connection are incomplete due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature of his current right eye conditions and their relationship to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right eye refractive error, Cataract
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20044207
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 20044207.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right eye visual field loss is due to an in-service injury, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating and effective date prior to May 23, 2013 was denied as the evidence did not show that his bilateral eye condition manifested symptoms more closely approximating those required for a higher evaluation.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected diabetic retinopathy with pseudophakia of the right eye and cataract of the left eye associated with diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 30 percent. The Board denied an increased rating, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on visual impairment.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension is granted under the PACT Act. The initial disability rating for ischemic optical neuropathy and cataract remains at 10 percent.
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