Scars decisions — 2000

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death, DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and non-service-connected death pension benefits due to lack of evidence showing that the veteran's malignant melanoma was caused by his service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted an increased rating to 30 percent for the veteran's service-connected alopecia areata and folliculitis, effective from May 1, 1997.

The veteran's claims for extensions of temporary total disability ratings due to her right navicular fracture and surgery to remove an osteophyte from her right wrist were denied.,VA medical examinations are needed to determine the current severity of the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including her ability to work.

The veteran's combined service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from a substantially gainful occupation.

The veteran's right leg scars are rated at 10 percent due to their hypersensitivity and limited range of motion.,The left leg scar is rated at 10 percent as it does not result in limitation of motion.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are not well grounded as there is no evidence showing a relationship between his current conditions and his military service.

The VA has denied increased ratings for the veteran's service-connected shell fragment wounds, finding that they do not meet the criteria for higher disability evaluations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for hiatal hernia, right foot ganglion cyst removal, and residuals of right femur osteotomy. The conditions are currently rated as they are.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD, combined with other disabilities including a gunshot wound to the right foot and residuals of left orbit injury, are considered disabling enough to prevent him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found no relationship between the veteran's post-service hysterectomy and her service-connected residuals of a small bowel resection, and denied both claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that her conditions did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings or service connection. The veteran's cesarean section scar was found to be a natural result of childbirth and not a medical complication of pregnancy. Her psychiatric residuals from miscarriage were not linked to active duty service. The latex allergy was rated based on its impact on her work as an operating room nurse, but did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for scarring of the left lung, finding no evidence of functional impairment or respiratory symptoms.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted, and his abdominal scar with incisional hernia, status post Meckel's diverticulum, is rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before a decision can be made on the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim of service connection for scarring of the stomach region. The RO granted service connection for recurrent right ankle sprain and left knee degenerative joint disease in April 2000, but this does not affect the denial of the stomach region issue.

The veteran is seeking service connection for a disability of the left eye, which he claims is related to his burn scars. He also seeks an increased evaluation for his burn scars. The Board has determined that these issues are inextricably intertwined and must be addressed together.

The veteran's right frontal scalp surgical scars have been granted an increased rating to a noncompensable level, as the RO found no evidence of moderate disfigurement required for a higher evaluation.

The Board has denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking the emphysema to military service or the veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran's participation in the Chapter 31 vocational rehabilitation program was warranted due to his service-connected disabilities and need for rehabilitation, but denied it because he refused to cooperate in developing a feasible goal.