Scars decisions — 2013

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that his combined disability rating of 90% supports the grant of TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected neck scar warrants a 10 percent initial disability rating, resolving all reasonable doubt in her favor.

The Board denied service connection for defective vision, dry eye syndrome, and/or residuals of a tear duct injury as well as corneal scar of the right eye. The evidence did not establish that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's additional disabilities were not caused by VA carelessness, negligence, or lack of proper skill during the August 2003 radical prostatectomy. The event was not reasonably foreseeable.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is denied as there is no evidence of a stressor related to combat. The claims for other conditions are also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura with splenectomy, adjustment disorder with depression, and disfiguring and painful abdominal scars) result from a common etiology and have combined ratings for compensation purposes of 60 percent. The Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to her service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's initial ratings for his service-connected conditions have been denied, but he was granted a higher rating for flexor tenosynovitis of the right long finger with scar.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, but denied them on the merits due to lack of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and entitlement to DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's death to his service-connected disabilities or medication.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused or contributed substantially or materially by his service-connected disabilities, including his status post traumatic hemothorax of the right lung with retained foreign bodies and his face and back scars.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine his employability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's skin condition and left ear condition were not incurred in or aggravated by service, thus denying both claims.

The Veteran's scarring secondary to left ovary removal is manifested by reports of pain and tenderness. The Board finds that a rating in excess of 10 percent for this condition is not warranted under either the former or revised VA rating criteria.

The Veteran is granted compensation for nerve damage, numbness, and scarring of the neck as a result of unauthorized surgery performed by VA without his informed consent.

The Board has determined that none of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including posttraumatic stress disorder, hearing loss, tinnitus, and a scar from a mortar fragment wound in the right arm, caused or contributed to his death from a traumatic subarachnoid hematoma.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals on four of the six remaining issues, leaving only one issue for consideration.

The Veteran's appendectomy scar causes limitation of flexion of the lumbar spine, but does not warrant a rating higher than 20 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of right eye retinal detachment with macular scarring and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The preponderance of evidence showed that these conditions did not have their onset in service or were not related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation between October 9, 1996 and April 9, 2001.

The Veteran's skin conditions, including scars and actinic keratosis, were not found to meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA regulations.