Scars decisions — 2003

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a rating exceeding 10 percent for residuals of pilonidal cystectomies, manifested by a tender scar. The current rating of 10 percent is the maximum allowed under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has ordered further development due to the need for additional evidence and clarification of existing records. The case will be returned to the RO for this purpose.

The Board has determined that the veteran's sinusitis and residuals of scarlet fever were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted a 40 percent evaluation for the duodenal ulcer with mild dumping syndrome and antral scarring, but denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder as secondary to service-connected disabilities. The scar is separately rated at 10 percent.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The RO also continued the denial of his secondary service connection claim.

The veteran's current 10 percent evaluation for head injury with laceration of forehead, tender scar and recurrent headaches is being remanded due to new evidence.

The veteran's death was caused by liver cancer due to hepatitis C, which the VA Board of Veterans' Appeals determined was incurred during his service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for lichen simplex chronicus and left hand scar, as well as his service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of an upper back injury. The RO is instructed to readjudicate these issues based on all available evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development and due process, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA eye examination.

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 50 percent, and his service-connected disabilities do not render him individually unemployable.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities of abdominal scars and right flank scars are evaluated as 10 percent disabling. A separate compensable rating is granted for a ruptured disc at L4-L5, resulting in neurological impairment of the right lower extremity.

The Board has dismissed the veteran's claims regarding CUE in the RO decisions of February 1, 1985. The issues have not been properly appealed within the required time frame.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for service-connected old scarring, right hemithorax, secondary to pneumonia was denied. His claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right ankle disability is also denied.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date for a 10% disability evaluation for residual scar with incisional hernia from December 11, 2002.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication, including obtaining additional medical records and considering all evidence received since the statement of the case.

The Board has determined that the veteran's scar of the posterior neck is a residual of a shell fragment wound to the neck sustained during service in Vietnam, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder disability, characterized by calcified subdeltoid bursitis with limitation of motion, warrants a 30 percent evaluation. The rating for his SFW residuals is also at its maximum allowable under DC 5306.

The veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for a retained foreign body in the chest/abdominal region with a scar is being remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining a VA examination and considering the appropriate diagnostic code.

The Board denied entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of exposure to ionizing radiation. The veteran's claims were not supported by sufficient evidence or medical opinion.

The veteran's claim for vocational rehabilitation training under Chapter 31 was denied because he is qualified for suitable employment but does not obtain or retain such employment for reasons within his control.