The Board denied a disability rating greater than 10 percent for chronic blepharitis with dermatochalasis, dry eyes, and macular pucker, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's visual acuity and visual field contractions did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating, and his combined service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic blepharitis with dermatochalasis (baggy eye lids), dry eyes, macular pucker, diplopia, pinguecula
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2024
- Citation
- 24032872
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left eye conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma and remanded the issue of service connection for an eye disability other than left eye conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma, to include dry eye syndrome and pinguecula.
- 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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for pinguecula as there was no evidence of scar or disfigurement with one characteristic of disfigurement.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for eye disabilities, to include retinopathy, bilateral nuclear cataracts, bilateral dermatochalasis, dry eye, and pinguecula, as the prior VA medical opinion regarding aggravation was found to be conclusory and lacked necessary medical reasoning.
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