The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with the November 2017 remand directives and thus the case is being REMANDED for further development, including obtaining updated VA medical records and new VA opinions regarding the Veteran's eye disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board found inadequate compliance with previous remands and therefore requires additional evaluations to address specific issues related to service connection for various eye conditions secondary to arterial hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- Refractive error of the left eye, Bilateral diabetic related cataracts, Proliferative diabetic retinopathy of the left eye, Severe diabetic retinopathy of the right eye
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20074059
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for refractive error of the left eye, finding that it is not a disease or injury within the meaning of VA regulations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
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