The Board granted an initial 10 percent rating for the left eye disability from December 15, 2008, to May 12, 2018, and a 20 percent rating from May 13, 2018, to November 6, 2018. The remaining claims were denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence was in equipoise as to whether the lamellar hole of the left eye with macular pucker is related to the in-service left eye injury and that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for higher ratings during the relevant periods.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of left eye injury, including iris sphincter tear, photophobia, lamellar hole with macular pucker
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2025
- Citation
- 25004753
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 25004753.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury, seizure disorder, photophobia, and headaches are being remanded due to the need to obtain Social Security Administration records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically failing to obtain an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current bilateral eye disability is related to service exposure to burn pits. The AOJ should obtain such an opinion.
- Granted
Service connection is granted for dry eye syndrome, photophobia, and right knee PFPS. Service connection for right shoulder strain and left shoulder strain is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claims for photophobia and an acquired psychiatric disorder secondary to photophobia need further development due to inadequate medical opinions.
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