The Board denied service connection for a bilateral eye disability, including bilateral cataracts, as the evidence did not show an in-service injury or disease and there was no link to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's refractive error treated in service is considered a developmental defect and is not eligible for service connection. Additionally, post-service VA examination reports showed that the Veteran's bilateral cataracts were part of the normal aging process and not related to his active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral eye disability, Bilateral cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25015667
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25015667.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral eye disability, including cataracts and a choroidal nevus affecting the left eye, is not attributable to active military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral eye disability and bilateral hearing loss are related to his military service, granting service connection for both conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including inadequate VA examinations and ineffective assignment of an effective date. A new VA examination is required to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral dry eye syndrome and cataracts, with a focus on whether a separate compensable rating for dry eye syndrome is warranted.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, hypertension, gastrointestinal disability, bilateral eye disability, and psychiatric disorder due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents in Korea. The Veteran's claims were remanded for consideration of obstructive sleep apnea.
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