Scars decisions — 2013

The Veteran seeks additional vocational rehabilitation training under Chapter 31, Title 38, United States Code, for the pursuit of a Bachelor's degree. The Board has remanded this case due to issues regarding his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his employment.

The Board has remanded the case for a Travel Board hearing due to the Veteran's request. The issues of service connection remain pending.

The Veteran's current scar was incurred during his military service and the Board has accepted as credible his allegations regarding the nature of his in-service injury, thus granting service connection for residuals of a neck injury.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD with substance abuse and alcoholism, tinnitus, left varicocele, scarring secondary to facial acne, and bilateral hearing loss, render him unemployable.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for burn scars on his legs, finding that there was not sufficient evidence to establish a link between these scars and his military service.

The Veteran's small horseshoe-shaped scar from the pilonidal cyst surgery in service is considered a current disability and related to his period of active duty, thus granting service connection.

The Veteran's scars on his left knee do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the issues of service connection and increased ratings for various disabilities.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of current residuals of burn scars of the hands, and thus service connection for this condition cannot be granted.

The Veteran's residuals of a pilonidal cyst, post-operative are currently rated at 10 percent and the evidence does not support an increase to a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cardiac, respiratory, and surgical scar disabilities are not related to his active service. The VA examiner found no evidence of MVP in service and opined that it was not at least as likely as not that the murmur noted during service represented mitral valve disease.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the schedular or extraschedular criteria for a TDIU rating, and his claim is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and right shoulder scars are related to his military service, warranting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's heart attack and stomach ulcer were not service-connected as his claims were denied due to lack of evidence showing the conditions began during or within one year after service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have residual scarring as a result of burns to the left hand, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for lip and eyebrow scars based on new evidence. The case is now remanded for a VA examination to determine the etiology of any current scarring.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for a shrapnel wound scar of the right foot was denied. The claims for increased ratings for PTSD were also denied, with the initial rating being denied prior to March 19, 2013 and the subsequent higher rating from that date not meeting the criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for clarification of his representation and to schedule a hearing before the Board. The case will be returned to the Board once these steps are completed.

The Veteran's alopecia areata with scarring is currently rated at 50 percent, the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 7830.