The Board remands the claim for a VA medical opinion to determine if there is any current eye disability due to an in-service injury from being struck by a tree branch.
The deciding factor: A remand is necessary as no VA clinician has opined on whether a current eye disability is due to the tree branch injury superimposed on refractive error.
- Claimed conditions
- large optic cups, bilateral refraction error, optic atrophy, open angle glaucoma, vitreous floaters
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 1, 2024
- Citation
- 24032526
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 40 percent disability rating for bilateral eye disabilities but denied ratings for abdominal scars, hypertension, and remanded claims related to thrombosis and arthritis.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
- Granted
The Veteran's open angle glaucoma and postoperative with lens replacement intraocular lens cataracts, dry eye syndrome, bilateral eyes are granted a 100 percent rating since February 11, 2022.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.