The Veteran's service-connected bilateral eye disability, including proliferative diabetic retinopathy with macular edema and bilateral cataracts, is granted at a 60% evaluation for the period beginning March 26, 2018. The issue of separate service connection for headaches secondary to his service-connected conditions remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's severe impairment in visual acuity due to his service-connected bilateral eye disability warranted a higher evaluation than previously assigned.
- Claimed conditions
- Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy with Macular Edema, Bilateral Cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- November 27, 2024
- Citation
- 24033557
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,272 · Granted: 31% (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 24033557.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, which render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings for his service-connected conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 70 percent for major depressive disorder and remanded claims for service connection, increased ratings, and TDIU.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hypertension, headaches, bilateral cataracts, and left hand osteoarthritis as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active service.
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