The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left eye dry eye and cataract are related to injuries sustained during INACDUTRA, and therefore service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence is approximately evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's current left eye disabilities are caused by injuries sustained during INACDUTRA.
- Claimed conditions
- left eye dry eye, cataract
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2024
- Citation
- 24031420
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 24031420.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for fatigue was dismissed. His headaches, IBS, GERD, allergic rhinitis, sinus, and sleep apnea were all granted. The left knee disability and cataract claims are still pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for his service-connected eye disability, including cataract with meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye syndrome, is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The Board finds that relevant VA treatment records from VistA Imaging are missing.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right eye dry eyes, cataracts of the left and right eyes, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, left renal arteriovenous malformation, aneurysm, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, recurrent subluxation of the left knee prior to May 13, 2020, left total knee replacement, disability rating in excess of 60 percent from September 1, 2021, forward for left total knee replacement, DJD of the right knee, right knee instability, burns of the bilateral ankles, linear scar of the left knee, post-surgical tender scars of the left knee, and a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based upon service-connected disabilities prior to June 14, 2019.
- Denied
The appeal for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for open angle glaucoma, retinal detachment, and cataract (eye disability) was denied as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were caused by VA's carelessness or negligence.
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