The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral eye disability and for ratings in excess of 20 percent for left elbow osteoarthritis and 10 percent for right ankle osteoarthritis, finding that the preponderance of evidence was against his claims.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions were against the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral eye disability due to lack of in-service or post-service documentation linking the condition to service. The VA examinations did not show flexion limited to 55 degrees, which is required for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5206.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Eye Disability, Left Elbow Osteoarthritis, Right Ankle Osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2021
- Citation
- 21031474
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 21031474.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is rated as non-compensable.,His acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, is rated at 50 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral eye disability is related to in-service toxic exposure risk activities other than herbicide exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him in need of aid and attendance, as he requires assistance with activities such as bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, medication management, and housekeeping/laundry due to his TBI, PTSD, OSA, headaches, lumbar spine disability, arthritis, and severe chronic back pain. The Board has granted special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and a bilateral eye disability, both of which are found to be proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder.
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