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
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 Board remands the claim for service connection of photophobia to obtain a new VA opinion that adequately addresses its etiology, including whether it is related to the Veteran's active duty or secondary to his service-connected psychiatric condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, finding that the evidence did not support a compensable disability rating or service connection for any of the claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for panic disorder/obsessive compulsive disorder, irritable bowel syndrome/functional abdominal pain syndrome/abdominal pain & bloating, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), sleep apnea, photophobia, tinnitus, and tremors of the hands.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral knee injury, head injury, photophobia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia to allow VA to obtain potentially relevant Social Security Administration records.
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