Citation Nr: 20006155
Decision Date: 01/24/20	Archive Date: 01/24/20

DOCKET NO. 15-14 463
DATE: January 24, 2020

ORDER

Entitlement to service connection for an eye disability, as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran served on active duty from September 1962 to January 1969.

The claim was most recently before the Board in April 2019 when it was remanded for further development. Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268 (1998).

The Board has recharacterized the claim to reflect the medical evidence of record.  Browkowski v. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. 79 (2009).

Entitlement to service connection for an eye disability, as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board is unable to make a final decision on the claim because additional development is required. 

The September 2019 VA examiner opined that the diagnosed eye disabilities (nuclear sclerotic cataracts and vitreal syneresis) are “due to age and would not be due to diabetes.” The examiner also noted that the record does not demonstrate any diabetic retinopathy. The opinion is inadequate because the examiner did not address whether the Veteran’s diabetes aggravated any of the currently diagnosed eye conditions and did not consider the Veteran’s report of retinal laser surgery for leaking vessels, due to the diabetes. See March 2019 VA treatment record. 

Accordingly, an addendum medical opinion should be obtained. Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268 (1998).

The matter is REMANDED for the following action:

1. Obtain any of the Veteran’s update VA and private treatment records. 

2. After the completion of the above, forward copies of all pertinent records, to include a copy of this remand, to the September 2019 VA examiner (or another appropriate VA examiner) to obtain an addendum medical opinion as to whether the Veteran's current eye disabilities were aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. If the clinician determines that an opinion can’t be provided without an examination, one should be scheduled.  

Based on the review of the record, the examiner should address the following:

Is it at least as likely as not the Veteran’s current eye disabilities are aggravated (defined as any increase in disability) by the diabetes? 

In answering this question, the examiner must specifically discuss the March 2019 VA treatment record that referred to retinal laser surgery for leaking vessels, due to the diabetes. 

The examiner must explain the rationale for all opinions in detail, citing to supporting clinical data and/or medical literature, as appropriate.  If an opinion cannot be provided, the examiner should indicate why. 

 

M.E. Larkin

Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans’ Appeals

Attorney for the Board	N. Williams

The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential, and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.