Scars decisions — 2000

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions, including headaches, PTSD, defective vision of the right eye, residuals of injury to the left arm, shoulder, and wrist with vein graft, fractures of the facial bones, and insect bite scar of the right hand. The appeals are all denied.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The issue of service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder was remanded by the Board but has not been re-certified.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred during a private hospitalization and outpatient treatment, finding that no emergency existed at the time of the treatment.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeal due to his failure to allege any error of fact or law in the February 1994 rating decision.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected shell fragment wounds to the left shoulder, buttock, and second metacarpal. The disabilities are currently rated as 20%, 20%, and 10% respectively.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the service-connected postoperative residuals of a right inguinal hernia and also denied a compensable evaluation for the service-connected postoperative scar. The veteran's claims were based on direct service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were granted, with a 10 percent evaluation assigned for the residuals of his suboccipital craniectomy and laminectomy, C1-C3, secondary to Arnold-Chiari malformation. The occipital craniectomy scar remains at its current 10 percent rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches, chest pain (claimed as residual of fracture of the chest bone), hearing loss in right ear, scar on right upper eyelid (claimed as residual of head injury), and a back disorder including pain and numbness of legs. The appeals were based on direct evidence from service records.

The veteran's residual scar from a liver biopsy is not shown to involve any limitation of function, and therefore does not warrant an initial compensable evaluation.

The veteran's service-connected residuals of shell fragment wounds have been rated appropriately, with the right thigh scar receiving a higher rating due to its severity.

The Board found that the veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions were not well grounded, as there was no competent evidence associating any current disabilities with his military service.

The veteran's claim for Service Disabled Veterans' Insurance under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1922 was denied because he did not file his application within the required one-year period following the grant of service connection for PTSD.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's keloid scar of the sternum, finding that it did not meet the criteria for a higher disability evaluation.

The Board denied an increased rating for a scar of the left groin, finding that the current 10 percent rating is based on tenderness and pain, which are already considered in the evaluation criteria.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found the evidence insufficient to support a well-grounded claim for secondary service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that none of them required such assistance.

The veteran's service-connected scars of the right eyelid and forehead are not shown to be more than slightly disfiguring, thus preventing a compensable evaluation. The multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities do not clearly interfere with normal employability.

The Board has granted service connection for various conditions, including knee and shin injuries, hand scars, and a hernia. The veteran's low back, right hand, chest/ribs, skin disorder (tinea versicolor), and eye disability claims are also addressed.

The Board's decision is dismissed because there was no final decision to review for CUE.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical evidence for the veteran's claims of service connection for post-traumatic encephalopathy and a compensable disability rating for shell fragment wound scars. The case will be returned to the RO after the requested development.