Citation Nr: 18158368
Decision Date: 12/14/18	Archive Date: 12/14/18

DOCKET NO. 05-24 545
DATE:	December 14, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to a compensable disability rating for bilateral lattice degeneration (bilateral eye condition) is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from February 1980 to June 2000.
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a November 2004 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Jackson, Mississippi.
In March 2015, the Board, in pertinent part, denied the claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for the Veteran’s bilateral eye condition.  The Veteran appealed the Board’s decision to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court).  In an March 2017 Memorandum Decision, the Court vacated the Board’s denial of entitlement to an increased rating for the Veteran’s bilateral eye condition and remanded the matter for compliance with a Joint Motion for Remand (JMR).
In July 2017, the Board remanded the issue of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for a bilateral eye condition further development.
Entitlement to a compensable disability rating for a bilateral eye disorder is remanded.
In July 2017, the Board remanded the issue of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for a bilateral eye condition to conduct a VA eye examination to ascertain the current severity of the disability.
In March 2018, the Veteran was afforded the requested eye examination.  Critically, however, the examiner stated that the “current visual field test is not reliable and testing should be repeated for confirmation.”  To date, the visual field testing has not been repeated.  Accordingly, remanded is needed.  See Daves v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 46 (2007); Green v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 121, 123-24 (1991).
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
Schedule the Veteran for an examination by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist to determine the current severity of his service-connected eye disorder.  The examiner should provide a full description of the disability and report all signs and symptoms necessary for evaluating the Veteran’s disability under the rating criteria.  The examiner must attempt to elicit information regarding the severity, frequency, and duration of any flare-ups, and the degree of functional loss during flare-ups.  To the extent possible, the examiner should identify any symptoms and functional impairments due to the eye disorders alone and discuss the effect of the Veteran’s eye disorders on any occupational functioning and activities of daily living.  If it is not possible to provide a specific measurement, or an opinion regarding flare-ups, symptoms, or functional impairment without speculation, the examiner must state whether the need to speculate is due to a deficiency in the state of general medical knowledge (no one could respond given medical science and the known facts), a deficiency in the record (additional facts are required), or the examiner (does not have the knowledge or training).
The results of visual field testing must be recorded on a standard Goldmann chart and be must be included with the examination report.
 
STEVEN D. REISS
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Joshua Castillo, Counsel