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.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations provided were adequate and supported by the clinical evidence, including the Veteran's lay statements concerning when he had developed noticeable symptoms in 1990 with continued vision loss over time for bilateral retinitis pigmentosa. For PTSD, the Board found sufficient medical evidence to establish a relationship between his in-service stressor and his current condition.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral retinitis pigmentosa, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2024
- Citation
- 24003564
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24003564.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for erectile dysfunction and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to a failure to provide a VA examination or obtain medical nexus opinions regarding service connection. The Veteran was exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed as the AOJ granted service connection in a January 2023 rating decision. The claims for right hand arthritis and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) are remanded due to inadequate examination and opinion.
- 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.
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