Scars decisions — 2019

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for head scars prior to October 5, 2017 and higher than 10 percent thereafter is denied.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various conditions are remanded.

The Veteran's left hip avascular necrosis, status post total hip replacement, is granted service connection. His left thigh scar secondary to his left hip avascular necrosis, status post total hip arthroplasty, is also granted. Service connection for jawbone replacement is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his service-connected conditions, including the severity of his skin condition and whether any dental disability is related to exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted with an effective date of July 1, 2009.

The claims for service connection of left knee, right knee, left ankle, bilateral foot callouses and scars, and right global hand pain have not been reopened.,However, the claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder has been reopened.

The Veteran's TBI residuals are being remanded for additional examinations to determine the current severity of his service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus type II, peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, heart disorder, dental disorder, cysts, lumps, and scars of the left breast, and residuals of colon cancer due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.,The Board also remanded the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and depression) based on in-service stressor of searching for POWs in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

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

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hypertension and stroke residuals due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran is also denied increased ratings for scar tissue on his right shoulder and forearms.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation from October 25, 2016 to September 28, 2017. TDIU is granted for this period. The issue of service connection for dizziness/vertigo as a residual of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for her right little finger fracture has been denied as the condition does not warrant an evaluation higher than zero percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to May 11, 2011, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not meet the schedular requirements and that extraschedular consideration was not warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable as his education, training, and work history allow for employment despite his conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of kidney stones was denied. The rating reduction from 60 percent to 40 percent for the lumbar spine disability status post fusion with instrumentation was restored, and the claim for hypertension with nephrosclerosis remains denied.

The Veteran's chronic kidney disease is remanded for a VA examination to determine its etiology.,The Veteran's lumbar strain and left knee strain are both remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted due to his service-connected disabilities, which include depression and anxiety, left knee conditions, lumbar spine with IVDS, right knee condition, left lower extremity radiculopathy, removal of gallbladder, residual scar from cholecystectomy, and a surgical scar on the left knee. His combined disability rating is 70 percent.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to January 18, 2017, for service connection of various conditions were denied.,Claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, left knee meniscal injury, PTSD, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and a left knee scar were also denied.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected macular scar, right eye, atrophic, residuals of injury was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 50 percent prior to October 5, 2018 and a rating in excess of 90 percent as of that date.