Scars decisions — 2004

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development and notification as required by the VCAA. The claims for service connection are not yet decided.

The Board has determined that additional records are needed from the Syracuse VA Medical Center to support the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and scarred eardrums. The veteran is also advised of his right to submit any relevant evidence in his possession.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral cataracts, claimed as residuals of chemical burns to eyes, were not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service. The current eye disabilities are found to be unrelated to the inservice injury. Bilateral hearing loss disability was also denied as it is not shown to have been incurred during service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for corneal scarring and a rectal disability, finding that there was no current diagnosis of a chronic rectal disability. The claim for corneal scarring is pending in the REMAND portion.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for a scar residual of a head injury.

The veteran's service-connected scars of the left upper arm have not met the criteria for a compensable rating under the old and amended schedules for evaluating skin disorders, effective after June 3, 2002.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for scar residuals prior to August 30, 2002 and a rating in excess of 20 percent from that date. The appeal regarding service connection for diabetes mellitus was remanded.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to ensure that all relevant evidence has been obtained and considered, including Social Security Administration (SSA) records and any more recent medical records. The issues of increased PTSD rating and TDIU are also on appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the veteran's current right eye disorders, including glaucoma and cataracts, are related to his in-service injury.

The veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations and separate compensable evaluations for his laceration scar of the scalp and face, as well as an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for a laceration scar on basis of disfigurement beginning August 30, 2002, were denied. The veteran's headaches are rated at 30 percent since their effective date.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral tinea pedis and granted a compensable rating (10%) for the left hand scar. The veteran currently has no current diagnosis of bilateral tinea pedis, but he does have a non-disfiguring left hand scar with mild functional limitations.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to August 28, 2000, for a 10 percent rating for his facial scar. The evidence did not show that there was an ascertainable increase in disability prior to this date.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected shell fragment wound scars of the left shoulder and neck, finding that they do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected upper and lower digestive tract disorders is being remanded to the RO for further development, including a VA examination.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and remanded her other claims due to outstanding medical records and a need for further examination.

The veteran's appendectomy scar is service-connected, but his chronic skin rash and bilateral epididymitis are not. The right shoulder keloid formation is currently rated as noncompensable.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to actions taken by the RO that affected his service-connected disability evaluation for a right inguinal hernia. The issues on appeal are now about the propriety of reducing the rating and seeking higher ratings for all residuals.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and a separate evaluation based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities.

The VA denied an increased rating for a residual scar from shrapnel wound on the right side of the thorax, as it is already rated at the maximum allowed by the applicable rating schedule.