The Board denied service connection for corneal dystrophy, right ankle disability, and hypertension. The Veteran's corneal dystrophy was found to have preexisted his first period of active duty and not aggravated during that time. His right ankle disability is presumed to have existed prior to his second period of active duty. Hypertension is also presumed to have existed prior to the second period of active duty.,The Board did not find any evidence of a current right ankle disability or arthritis related to service, with the exception of osteoarthritis being diagnosed in 2005 during the Veteran's second period of active duty.
The deciding factor: There is no clear and unmistakable evidence that corneal dystrophy was aggravated by service. The Board found that the preexisting condition existed prior to service, and there is no evidence of aggravation beyond its natural progression.,The Veteran's right ankle disability is presumed to have existed before his second period of active duty due to lack of documentation during service. There is also no evidence of arthritis related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- corneal dystrophy, right ankle disability, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2021
- Citation
- 21010156
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 21010156.
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