Scars decisions — 2004

The Board found that no new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for residuals of an eye injury, to include scars. The veteran's claim was denied.

The Board found no current diagnoses of chest scarring, left leg scar, or upper respiratory infection. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU are being remanded due to inadequate notice of the information and evidence necessary to substantiate his claims.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities (hypertrophic arthritis of the right knee, scar of the right hip, and scars on the right shoulder) prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her service-connected conditions were denied. The RO found that the current ratings adequately reflected the severity of her disabilities.

The Board finds that the service-connected shrapnel wound residuals contributed substantially to the cause of death, and grants the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has determined that the September 1982 rating decision granting service connection for residual scars of shell fragment wounds to various body parts was clearly and unmistakably erroneous, thus severing this service connection. The appeal is denied.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected left eye pterygium is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA ophthalmological examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to evaluate the veteran's service-connected conditions. The issues of initial compensable evaluations for hypertensive heart disease and a residual scar from left inguinal hernia repair will be re-adjudicated after these actions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected postoperative ruptured patellar tendon of the left knee and postoperative scars of the left knee.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations were denied. The right elbow arthritis was rated at the maximum allowable under the old criteria, and the left eye scar did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for hearing loss and increased disability evaluations for his residual scar of a shrapnel wound to the neck and residuals of a shrapnel wound to Muscle Group XXIII, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have PTSD, and there is no evidence of current disabilities involving shrapnel wounds or scarring to the right knee, upper lip and sinus. The claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for authorization of ongoing non-VA (fee basis) treatment, finding that massage therapy or reflexology is not reasonable and necessary medical treatment.

The VA denied the veteran's requests for increased evaluations for his service-connected scars of the right hand and forearm, both rated at 10 percent.

The Board found that the veteran does not have residuals of his in-service pneumonia, including a right lung scar, that were incurred in or aggravated by active service and are related to his service-connected bronchial asthma.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a bilateral mandibular osteotomy, including loss of teeth and secondary surgical scars. The issue of aggravation of malocclusion was also addressed but not specified in the decision.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected shell fragment wound scar of the left foot is being remanded due to incomplete notification and evidence, necessitating further examination and development.

The Board has granted special monthly compensation for loss of use of a creative organ due to service-connected internal scarring from two cesarean sections. The veteran's condition meets the criteria for this benefit.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, residuals of arthroplasties of the right and left 5th toes, hypertension, a scar of the abdomen, and blood in the urine. The veteran's claims were based on presumed exposure to noise during active duty.