The Board has determined that the Centralized Eligibility and Appeals Team (CEAT) incorrectly concluded that the Veteran does not require personal care services for a minimum of six continuous months based on her disability conditions. The CEAT review overlooked evidence indicating she may need supervision or protection due to neurological impairments, as well as regular or extensive instruction or supervision due to her eye condition and lumbar spine condition. As such, the Board has ordered a new medical opinion to determine if personal care services are required for a minimum of six continuous months.
The deciding factor: The CEAT review did not consider all relevant evidence regarding the Veteran's need for supervision or protection based on neurological impairments and her eye condition and lumbar spine condition, which could indicate she requires personal care services.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Macular Degeneration, Lumbar Spine Condition with Bilateral Lower Extremity Radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2026
- Citation
- A26010203
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 A26010203.
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.
- Denied
The rating for bilateral macular degeneration was reduced from 100% to 0%, effective February 1, 1972, due to fraud. The reduction and discontinuance of benefits were upheld.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for bilateral macular degeneration was granted, with an effective date of September 26, 2019. The current rating is 70 percent for the period from June 22, 2015 onwards.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased rating, service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, and bilateral macular degeneration due to new evidence and need for further examination.
- Partly granted
The Board is unable to determine the validity of the Veteran's claims for bilateral macular degeneration, detached retinae, retinal tears, or other acquired eye disorder due to conflicting evidence and unanswered questions. The issues are considered 'mixed' as some conditions may be service-connected while others cannot be determined.
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