The Board has determined that the VA examination is incomplete and remands for a new examination to determine if any vision disability is related to service or any other event, injury, or disease during service.
The deciding factor: The examiner's opinion was inconclusive due to lack of objective evidence correlating stress with elevated cortisol levels while on active duty or prior to the onset of central serous retinopathy in 2007.
- Claimed conditions
- vision deterioration, central serous retinopathy of the left eye
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23017140
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 23017140.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal concerning the propriety of severance of service connection for bruxism is dismissed. The issues of service connection for central serous retinopathy, an acquired psychiatric disorder, acid reflux, and sleep apnea are remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
- Granted
The appeal was granted for the severance of service connection for deviated nasal septum, which was found to be improper.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's vision deterioration disability. The Veteran contends that his left eye deterioration was caused by stress in service and provided lay statements about chronicity of symptoms from separation to diagnosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the appeal for fibromyalgia due to withdrawal. The right shoulder condition, vision deterioration, left hip condition, and right hip condition claims are remanded for further development.
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