The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for blindness right eye, with low vision left eye, old retinal detachment right eye, and maculopathy right eye as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II. The March 2020 VA examiner found that the Veteran’s multiple severe eye conditions were not caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's blindness is due to old retinal detachment, which occurred in April 2011 and has remained stable since then. The examiner noted no diabetic retinopathy or diabetic ocular complications in the medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- blindness right eye, low vision left eye, old retinal detachment right eye, maculopathy right eye
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20074051
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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