The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the VA examination and the need for a supplemental opinion regarding the Veteran's eye conditions, including whether they are related to his service-connected diabetic retinopathy.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to provide an adequate opinion on the causation or aggravation of the Veteran's non-service-connected eye disabilities by his service-connected diabetic retinopathy and other conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- right eye diabetic retinopathy, bilateral postoperative cataracts with replacement intraocular lenses, open angle glaucoma, diabetic neuropathy (presumed due to type II diabetes mellitus), ptosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21006388
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 21006388.
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 determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral eye condition should be remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors and the need for an updated TERA Memorandum. The Veteran was not provided with a VA examination, and her allegations of exposure during basic training were not addressed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and SMC have been remanded due to regulatory changes affecting the rating of eyes on May 13, 2018. The AOJ is instructed to consider both old and new criteria for rating eye disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected open angle glaucoma is granted. The claim for an increased rating for COPD remains denied, as the severity of his condition does not warrant a higher than 30 percent rating. The Veteran's hypertension is now rated at 10 percent, but no higher.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating higher than 30 percent for the Veteran's uveitis with open angle glaucoma and aphakia of the left eye, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
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