The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed eye disabilities, including nuclear sclerosis, retinal dystrophy, and macular degeneration. The VA needs to provide a supplemental opinion addressing these issues.
The deciding factor: The current medical evidence is unclear as to whether the Veteran has an acquired disorder or a hereditary defect/disease for his diagnosed eye disabilities, and further examination is needed to clarify this.
- Claimed conditions
- nuclear sclerosis, retinal dystrophy, macular degeneration
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21026920
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 21026920.
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 decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's vision problems, which may be related to his service-connected conditions.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board has denied the claim for service connection for macular degeneration due to a finding of clear and unmistakable error in the AOJ's decision, as no new and relevant evidence was presented or secured with the supplemental claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for seizure disorder and macular degeneration due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ must obtain a TERA Memorandum and medical opinions addressing whether the Veteran was exposed to chemicals or solvents while stationed at Fort McClellan during his service, and if so, whether these exposures are related to his claimed conditions.
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