The Veteran's corneal erosions with keratopathy do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating as they do not cause visual impairment, have not resulted in any incapacitating episodes, and are not manifested by characteristics of disfigurement.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show any incapacitating episodes or visual field loss that would warrant a compensable evaluation under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- corneal erosions, keratopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20074828
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 20074828.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for corneal erosions and dry eye syndrome, finding that the Veteran's conditions were aggravated during her service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an eye disability, other than glaucoma or cataracts, finding that the Veteran's current eye conditions are not related to his in-service injuries and experiences.
- Remanded (sent back)
The VA has obtained additional evidence that is pertinent to the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for corneal erosions with keratopathy. The AOJ needs to review this new evidence and prepare a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of an injury to the eyes was denied in a December 1981 rating decision. The Board has now reopened this claim due to new and material evidence, but it is still pending as the issue remains on appeal.
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