The Board granted service connection for bilateral cataracts, finding that the evidence is at least in approximate balance or nearly equal that the condition had its onset in or is otherwise etiologically related to military service.

The deciding factor: The examining physician concluded that the Veteran's bilateral cataract surgery was likely due to his exposure to ionizing radiation during his service on nuclear submarines and with nuclear weapons.

Claimed conditions

bilateral cataracts

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

Ionizing radiation

Rating assigned

100%

Decision date

November 14, 2025

Citation

A25099363

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine