Scars decisions — 2016

The Board denied service connection for CFS and remanded issues of service connection for various other conditions. The case is now being remanded again to provide a VA examination and address the intertwined issues.

The Veteran's neurologic deficits involving the right buttock and thigh, associated with residual scars, are rated at a 10 percent disability level.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been found to preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and he is granted a TDIU effective September 5, 2007.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected scars do not meet or nearly approximate the criteria for a compensable rating, and thus denied his claim.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to evaluate any possible residuals of the Veteran's in-service pongee stick stab wound, and to determine if there is service connection for his left leg condition or scar.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain or maintain gainful employment, and the preponderance of evidence is against his claim for TDIU.

The Board has determined that the reduction in the evaluation of the Veteran's bilateral knee scars from 10 percent to noncompensable was proper based on sustained improvement under ordinary conditions of life.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities necessitate the need for regular aid and attendance, as he requires assistance with daily activities such as feeding himself, keeping himself clean, and protecting himself from environmental hazards.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment from April 30, 2008 to July 30, 2013.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination of his service-connected lichen simplex chronicus with scarring, as there are questions regarding its current severity and extent.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his shell fragment wound scar of the right thigh was denied. The Board found that the scar did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic code. Service connection for back disability and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the back, face, and left arm were also denied as secondary to service-connected conditions or due to lack of evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected lung disability is rated at 60 percent, and the Board has granted a TDIU based on his other disabilities. The issue of an increased rating remains pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not permit vocational rehabilitation training or lead to successful employment, and the necessary steps towards receiving Chapter 31 vocational rehabilitation benefits have not been taken.

The Board has granted service connection for a musculoskeletal strain of the low back, but denied service connection for right and left ankle disorders, TBI, and vision disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO due to a request for a Travel Board hearing that has not been scheduled. The case will be returned to the Board after the hearing.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed for the claims of higher ratings for his knee and foreleg conditions. The Board found in favor of service connection for a low back disability, with the evidence being at least in equipoise as to whether it is related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected chest scar, which is painful, has been granted an initial 10 percent evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to insufficient information regarding his exposure to herbicide agents during service. The heart disorder claim will be reconsidered, and the secondary claims for bypass surgery scarring and stroke residuals will also be reviewed in light of this new development.

The Board has determined that there is no clear and unmistakable error in the effective date assignments for service connection, but found that there was clear and unmistakable error in the effective date assignment for the award of service connection for residual scars status post skin graft of the right leg. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings on an extra-schedular basis are denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's right elbow scar did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, as his symptoms were primarily subjective complaints of pain and weakness with limited range of motion.