The Veteran's service connection claim for nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, claimed as holes in the back of his eyes, is being remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the current diagnoses are less likely related to service based on the absence of diabetes at the time of the in-service eye issues.
- Claimed conditions
- nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, holes in the back of the eyes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20070024
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (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 20070024.
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 insufficient evidence and the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and SSA disability benefits file.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence and a need for further examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to outstanding VA treatment records that have not yet been associated with the claims file.
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