The Veteran's claim for service connection for left eye pterygium is remanded due to a failure to consider her lay statements regarding increased exposure to ultraviolet rays in service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the Veteran's lay evidence of increased UV light exposure during service, which could affect the determination of etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- left eye pterygium
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2026
- Citation
- A26024345
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 A26024345.
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 Board has granted service connection for bilateral dry eye syndrome but denied service connection for bilateral asteroid hyalosis, bilateral cataracts, and left eye pterygium. The Veteran's dry eye syndrome is linked to his active duty service, while the other conditions are not.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral dry eye syndrome and left eye pterygium due to a need for additional medical evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an initial increased rating for service-connected left eye pterygium was granted, and the earlier effective date for peripheral vestibular disorder was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for left eye pterygium due to a duty-to-assist error in the July 2021 rating decision.
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