Scars decisions — 2016

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus type II with peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, residuals of status post right hemicolectomy secondary to bowel perforation from colonoscopy with status post ventral hernia repair and scar, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss, preclude him from obtaining substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on this finding.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has directed that the Veteran's signed informed consent for his July 27, 2006 VA keloid excision surgery be obtained. The RO must attempt to obtain this information and document all attempts in the claims file.

The Board denied service connection for peripheral arterial disease of the upper and lower extremities, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and right knee gunshot wound scar as they are not shown to be related to service or service-connected conditions.,Service connection was also denied for a right knee scar due to lack of evidence showing its presence in service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for his service-connected left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for another VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a new examination for his impotence claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded to the AOJ.,Effective dates prior to June 6, 2014, are not warranted for awards of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current frostbite residuals of the face, hands, or feet related to service. His skin disorders and peripheral neuropathy are not etiologically related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is not competent to handle disbursement of VA funds due to his mental incapacity, as evidenced by multiple hospitalizations and inability to manage personal finances.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination and for further development of the claims.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant through his authorized representative, and thus the appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal has been remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims. The issues include service connection, increased rating, and initial compensable rating for his left shoulder disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to the character of his discharge. The Board of Correction of Naval Records upgraded his discharge from general court martial to under honorable conditions in February 2008, which allowed him to receive VA benefits. However, an earlier effective date was not granted as it would have been based on when he filed for correction of his military records.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as she withdrew her appeal in July 2016.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss does not warrant a compensable evaluation, and his left inguinal herniorrhaphy scar with entrapment of the left ilio-inguinal nerve causing neuropathy is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of her right tibia fracture residuals and third degree burn scars with multiple skin grants, and determining if there are any underlying tissue damages.

The Board has determined that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the March 1972, November 1973, or April 1997 rating decisions regarding service connection for multiple shrapnel wounds and scar tissue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute to his death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected degenerative arthritis of the left hand and the disability rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected residuals of a traumatic laceration with scar of the left hand prior to August 6, 2015, and 30 percent thereafter.