The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for glaucoma and gastrointestinal disability, as well as the issue of entitlement to special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance of another person or being housebound. The issues are inextricably intertwined.
The deciding factor: The legal standard for secondary service connection based on aggravation does not require permanent aggravation, so new opinions must be provided regarding whether the Veteran's diabetes mellitus aggravated his glaucoma and gastrointestinal disability.
- Claimed conditions
- glaucoma, gastrointestinal disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066638
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20066638.
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 Veteran's eligibility for PCAFC benefits is remanded due to the AOJ's failure to address whether it is in the best interest of the Veteran to participate in the program. The Board finds that the Veteran has been in need of personal care services for at least six continuous months based on an inability to perform the ADL of bathing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for further review of the evidence. The Board is unable to determine if there was a factual increase in disability prior to the effective dates requested, or if service connection should be granted based on the current evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to incomplete records, including SSA disability benefits records. The Veteran's right knee tendinopathy, tendinitis is not rated higher than 10 percent.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including generalized anxiety disorder, and for glaucoma. The evidence did not support a finding of current disability or a link to service.
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