The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to a lack of evidence showing that VA care caused his blindness in his left eye.
The deciding factor: The examiner concluded that the Veteran’s blindness was not caused by any fault on the part of VA, and that it resulted from pre-existing conditions exacerbated by the Veteran's own risk factors for cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- left eye cataracts, left eye central retinal vein occlusion, neovascular glaucoma, cystoid macular edema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 12, 2021
- Citation
- 21042288
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21042288.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a left eye condition to obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected hypertension caused or aggravated his left eye central retinal vein occlusion and pseudophakia.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his service-connected right eye pseudophakia with stage I macular hole and left eye cataracts, maintaining the 40 percent evaluation.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his right eye disability, as the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 30 percent.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left eye cataracts and his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, as well as the potential aggravation of these conditions. The examiner must consider all toxic exposure risk activities (TERA), including herbicide exposure.
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