Scars decisions — 2021

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to September 30, 2014 and TDIU prior to May 2, 2019. The claim for a 60% evaluation for coronary artery disease beginning December 2, 2016 is granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a scar on the back of his head, left arm weakness, and headaches have been granted. The claim for Meniere's disease has been denied.,Service connection is established for a laceration scar on the back of the Veteran's head.

The Board has dismissed all the Veteran's claims as the appellant withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's discharge from service was upgraded to honorable conditions, thus the issue of whether his discharge bars VA compensation benefits is dismissed. The Board also notes that the underlying claims for service connection are not issues within this appeal.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee surgical scars was denied, and his claim for an earlier effective date prior to August 2012 for the assignment of a 10 percent disability rating for service-connected right knee surgical scars was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because he died during the pendency of his case, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim at this time.

The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, voiding dysfunction as secondary to prostate cancer, and scars as secondary to prostate cancer. The Veteran's claim for mood disorder associated with his prostate cancer is remanded due to the need for a medical examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and remanded several issues, including PTSD, lumbar spine disorder, left palm scar, hypertension, and right wrist ulnar styloid unfused apophysis. The Veteran is also seeking TDIU.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the issues of increased evaluation for right indirect inguinal hernia and entitlement to a TDIU, as well as service connection for a residual penile scar. The Veteran will need new VA examinations and clarification on certain aspects of his claims.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for scar, left thigh gunshot wound as secondary to residual shell fragment wound, left thigh, muscle group XIV is denied.,The Veteran's increased rating in excess of 20 percent for left thigh neuropathy as secondary to residual shell fragment wounds, left thigh, muscle group XIV is also denied.

The Veteran's left knee scar is granted a 10% rating, but no higher. The initial rating for tinnitus remains at 10%. An effective date prior to August 11, 2015 for the grant of service connection for tinnitus is denied.,Multiple issues remain unresolved and are being remanded by the Board.

The Veteran's left ankle disability has been granted a 10 percent rating, effective from November 9, 2021.,Service connection for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression, left ankle arthritis, left ankle scar, and eczema was granted on May 27, 2015.

The Veteran's bilateral mastectomy scars are not painful or unstable, and do not result in any functional impairment. Therefore, the claim for an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected bilateral mastectomy scars is denied.

The Veteran's right ankle disability, including a scar from his Achilles tendon surgery, is rated at 20 percent effective November 15, 2019. The Board also granted an initial rating of 10 percent for the scar prior to that date.

The Board has not fully complied with its previous remand instructions and thus the TDIU claim is being returned for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability was granted, and an effective date of March 21, 1995, was established. The left shoulder disability issue is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination. The left ankle scar issue has been granted with an initial compensable rating.

The Veteran's appeal was not perfected in a timely manner, as no valid and timely substantive appeal was received within the required timeframe.

The Veteran's scar residual of excision of parotid tumor does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it does not exhibit visible or palpable tissue loss, gross distortion, or asymmetry of one feature or paired set of features.

The Veteran's lung scarring with calcified pleural plaques required daily inhalational bronchodilator therapy or inhalational anti-inflammatory medication from August 24, 2015 to June 27, 2017. During this period, he did not require at least monthly visits to a physician for care of exacerbations, intermittent courses of systemic corticosteroids, or outpatient oxygen therapy.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, shin splints, and hearing loss. The claims are being returned for additional development.