The Board found the reduction from 20 percent to a noncompensable rating for service-connected bilateral conjunctivitis was improper and restored the 20 percent rating. The issue of entitlement to an increased disability rating remains pending.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not demonstrate sustained improvement in the severity of the Veteran’s bilateral conjunctivitis from the date of the assignment of the 20 percent disability rating, thus the reduction was improper.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Conjunctivitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20067165
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (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 20067165.
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 granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and MDD, as well as a bilateral eye disability. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible reports of in-service events and ongoing medical treatment.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral conjunctivitis with a history of dry eye syndrome is rated at 10 percent from March 4, 2019. A separate and compensable rating of 20 percent for bilateral dry eye syndrome is granted. The Veteran's entitlement to increased ratings for IVDS remains pending.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including generalized anxiety disorder with insomnia, migraine headaches, obstructive sleep apnea, and bilateral conjunctivitis, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hand and left foot disabilities, as these issues are related to his service-connected Reiter's Syndrome. The Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for his service-connected conjunctivitis and photophobia with iritis and uveitis.
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