The Board remands the claim for an eye disability to schedule a new VA examination and obtain medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed conditions, including whether they are related to service or secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II.
The deciding factor: Further development is needed as the September 2021 VA examiner did not address all diagnosed eye conditions documented in treatment records and failed to provide an opinion on secondary service connection for the Veteran's eye disability.
- Claimed conditions
- glaucoma, refractive error, epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD), dry eye syndrome (DES)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2022
- Citation
- 22000423
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for glaucoma and macular degeneration, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted reconsideration of the issues of entitlement to service connection for basal cell carcinoma, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral upper and lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The claims for these conditions were previously denied but are now being readjudicated due to new evidence.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for diabetes, glaucoma, left foot and toe tingling and numbness sensation, left hand and fingers tingling and numbness sensation, right foot and toe tingling and numbness sensation, right hand and fingers tingling and numbness sensation, and stomach cancer as moot.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right upper and lower extremity radiculopathy, glaucoma, and left orbital fracture, but denied a compensable disability rating for anemia.
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