The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete information in a previous VA examination, specifically regarding whether the Veteran's difficulty in depth perception can be measured as a decrease in visual acuity, impairment of visual field, or impairment of muscle function.
The deciding factor: The July 2021 VA examiner did not provide sufficient detail on this aspect of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- left eye central macular scar, hypertensive retinopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21072734
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 21072734.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for an eye condition, carpal tunnel syndrome, and diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction. However, it granted a 70% rating for PTSD and separate 10% ratings for diabetic neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the claim for service connection for hypertensive retinopathy to ensure compliance with a Joint Motion for Remand, which requires providing notice of the right to a pre-decisional hearing.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertensive retinopathy as it is not secondary to a currently service-connected condition.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a vision disability, to include diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, open angle glaucoma, blepharitis, left eye optic neuritis, and hypertensive retinopathy, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus.
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