The Veteran's loss of vision in his left eye is not considered to be caused by the VA's carelessness, negligence, or similar instance of fault. The Board has determined that the criteria for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 have not been met.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's loss of vision in his left eye was found to be less likely than not proximately caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault as determined by the VA examiner. The event of losing vision due to surgery is considered a reasonably foreseeable risk.
- Claimed conditions
- blindness, loss of vision
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20054465
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20054465.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
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- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal is dismissed as moot because the Veteran's past due benefits were already awarded and no fees were withheld or paid, so there are no remaining disputes to be adjudicated.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, insomnia, bilateral hearing loss, and back, right knee, and sinusitis conditions. Service connection was denied for bronchitis, hernia, loss of vision, and chest acne.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for AVM, blindness (secondary to AVM), and tinnitus due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions occurred during active duty for training.
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