The Board denied the appeal, finding that the severance of service connection for bilateral keratoconus was proper due to an erroneous factual finding.
The deciding factor: The adjudicator made an undebatable error in finding that the Veteran's condition began during active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral keratoconus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2025
- Citation
- A25003549
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 575 · Granted: 29% (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 A25003549.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral keratoconus, but remanded the claim for right ankle tendonitis.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cellulitis and remanded claims for allergic rhinitis, eczema, bilateral keratoconus, sinusitis, and knee conditions due to incomplete records and need for further development.
- Whole decision: Granted
The veteran is granted an initial 20 percent rating for chronic allergic conjunctivitis with bilateral blepharitis, bilateral dry eye syndrome, and bilateral keratoconus. Additionally, a separate initial 10 percent rating is granted for decreased visual acuity due to bilateral keratoconus.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's left eye keratoconus and bilateral keratoconus prior to June 30, 2022, are rated at 30 percent. From June 30, 2022, the rating for bilateral keratoconus is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
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