The Board denied the Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for bilateral retinitis pigmentosa, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the provided lay statements were new but not material as they did not establish whether the Veteran had retinitis pigmentosa prior to service or if it was aggravated by his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral retinitis pigmentosa
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2023
- Citation
- 23006178
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 23006178.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of service connection for bilateral retinitis pigmentosa but denied the claim based on a lack of evidence linking the condition to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral retinitis pigmentosa began in and is related to his active-duty service, granting the claim for service connection.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral retinitis pigmentosa first manifested during active service and is therefore granted service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral retinitis pigmentosa and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) are granted as service-connected. The Board found that the Veteran had a current disability, established continuity of symptoms since service, and provided sufficient medical evidence to establish a relationship between his in-service stressor and his current conditions.
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