The Board remands the claim for service connection for Stargardt's disease to obtain a supplemental opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension has aggravated his condition and whether his exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam may have aggravated his hereditary Stargardt's disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion was found inadequate as it only addressed causation, not aggravation, and there is no evidence of a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding the Veteran's claim for service connection based on herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- Stargardt's disease
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25101812
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 A25101812.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 determined that the VA opinion in connection with the Veteran's claim for service connection for Stargardt's disease is inadequate and requires further development. The matter is being remanded to obtain an addendum medical opinion addressing whether there is clear and unmistakable evidence that the condition pre-existed service, if so, whether it was aggravated by service, and whether it is at least as likely as not aggravated by his service-connected hypertension.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, including Stargardt's disease and anxiety disorder with depressive disorder. The SMC rate is set at 38 U.S.C. § 1114(o).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral eye condition and its relationship to service. The Veteran is seeking service connection for macular degeneration or blindness, but the VA examiner did not provide sufficient information on whether his condition preexisted service or was aggravated by a superimposed injury during service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current disabilities related to his in-service complaints and treatment.
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