The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral eye disability is related to service-connected conditions or presumed herbicide exposure. The case will be returned for further development and consideration.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not consider the possibility of direct service connection as due to in-service herbicide exposure, which was necessary for a complete evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- left eye macular degeneration, right eye non-exudative macular degeneration, bilateral pseudophakia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 10, 2023
- Citation
- 23044527
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 23044527.
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 Veteran's initial compensable rating for headaches and his claim for TDIU from August 31, 2011, to February 20, 2018 are both remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for his service-connected eye disabilities and entitlement to TDIU prior to November 5, 2012 due to inadequate opinions regarding the severity of his conditions over time.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral diabetic retinopathy with bilateral pseudophakia and epiretinal membrane is rated at 20 percent effective September 10, 2021. The appeal for a separate rating prior to this date and service connection for pancreatitis are remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for dry eye syndrome, bilateral pseudophakia, and bilateral glaucoma based on a TERA during the Veteran's active duty.
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