The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new medical opinion is needed regarding whether the Veteran's eye disorder (glaucoma and cataracts) is related to service-connected hypertension.
The deciding factor: The examiner did not consider all relevant lay statements and failed to address the secondary service connection prong properly.
- Claimed conditions
- glaucoma, cataracts
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20075132
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 glaucoma and macular degeneration, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted reconsideration of the issues of entitlement to service connection for basal cell carcinoma, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral upper and lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The claims for these conditions were previously denied but are now being readjudicated due to new evidence.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for diabetes, glaucoma, left foot and toe tingling and numbness sensation, left hand and fingers tingling and numbness sensation, right foot and toe tingling and numbness sensation, right hand and fingers tingling and numbness sensation, and stomach cancer as moot.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right upper and lower extremity radiculopathy, glaucoma, and left orbital fracture, but denied a compensable disability rating for anemia.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.