Scars decisions — 2019

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's laminectomy scar has been granted an increased initial disability rating of 10 percent.,Service connection for a right knee disability, secondary to service-connected low back disability, is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran's left leg disability is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the nature, etiology, and cause of his claimed disabilities. The examiner must address whether any left leg disability/pathology was caused or aggravated by the VA surgical and medical treatment.

The Veteran's nonlinear scars of the anterior trunk are not painful, unstable, or associated with underlying tissue damage and do not affect a total area greater than 929 square centimeters.,The Veteran does not have a current left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left knee disability, or right knee disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from February 16, 2016, to September 10, 2017. The TDIU is granted during this period and the appeal for a temporary total evaluation due to hernia repair is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has determined that there is insufficient evidence to grant a rating in excess of 100 percent for PTSD and denied entitlement to a temporary total evaluation due to treatment requiring convalescence. The issues of service connection for various conditions remain on appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected post-gastrectomy syndrome with a duodenal ulcer and surgical scar of the abdomen do not render him unemployable, as he can still perform substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records, particularly regarding her service-connected foot disabilities. The appeals will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for surgical scars and service connection for mood disorder are remanded due to procedural issues and the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for pulmonary hypertension and acute respiratory failure, chronic renal insufficiency, scar residuals secondary to service-connected conditions, and depression. Additional development is needed as per previous remand directives.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for coronary artery disease, but the Board finds no evidence of a claim prior to July 1, 2015.,The Veteran's initial rating for coronary artery disease is denied as his disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating at any point in this appeal.,A VA examination is needed to assess the current severity and manifestations of the post-surgery scar.

Your service connection claims for left foot fibroma, painful scar of left foot associated with left foot fibroma, and scar of left foot have been granted. You are now assigned separate ratings for each condition.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for migraine headaches was denied, and service connection for surgical neck scars associated with cervical spine DDD was granted but only up to June 30, 2014. The Veteran’s claim for a higher rating for his stellate scar of the occipital area of the scalp is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable disability rating for his residual scar, status post left zygomatic bone fracture was denied. The appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for ptosis, left eye was also denied.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of various hip and spine conditions due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service-connected acne has resulted in scarring of the face and neck that includes some scars over 0.6 centimeters wide, elevated and depressed, with abnormal texture and hypopigmentation. The Veteran is granted a 50 percent rating for this condition. However, his claim for a compensable rating for acne of the chest, arms, and back remains pending as it requires further evaluation.

The Board denied service connection for a chronic lung disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his in-service upper respiratory infections and other medical evidence does not support a link between these conditions.

The Board dismissed the appeals as the Veteran withdrew his requests for increased ratings in these cases.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected right calf scar, residuals of laceration, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic code.