The Board denied service connection for bilateral astigmatism and hypermetropia as these conditions are due to refractive errors, which are not considered diseases or injuries under VA compensation law.
The deciding factor: Service connection may not be granted for refractive errors of the eyes, including myopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism, even if visual acuity decreased in service, as they are congenital or developmental defects, not diseases or injuries within the meaning of applicable regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral astigmatism, bilateral hypermetropia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2025
- Citation
- A25036797
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 A25036797.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and a need for an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's eye disabilities, including bilateral cataracts, hypertensive retinopathy, hypermetropia, astigmatism, presbyopia, unspecified peripheral retinal degeneration, dry eye syndrome, presence of intraocular lens, old branch retinal vein occlusion, and bilateral pinguecula.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma but denied service connection for chronic bronchitis and stable angina. Migraine headaches, bilateral hypermetropia, hypertension, a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and cervical spine disability claims were withdrawn by the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands all service connection claims for further development, including making efforts to obtain VA treatment records from the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of substantive development regarding whether the Veteran's astigmatism was worsened by an in-service concussion.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.