Scars decisions — 2021

The Veteran's initial higher rating claims for scars of the nose, left temple, and anterior chest have been remanded due to additional development being required.

The Veteran's right leg scar was not shown to be painful or unstable, and measured no larger than 1.5 cm. The Board denied a compensable rating for the scar.,The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's osteopenia of the right leg (tibia/fibula) is not related to service, nor caused by any service-connected disability. The examiner also found no aggravation of the condition by any service-connected disability.

The Board has denied a compensable evaluation for the postoperative inguinal hernia repair with a scar and has remanded the issue of service connection for a low back disorder.

The Board has denied increased ratings for various conditions, including right knee disability and tinnitus. The Veteran's service connection claims are remanded for further action.

The Veteran's hearing loss, right index finger scar, and lumbosacral strain have increased in severity since his last VA examinations. The Board has ordered remand for the Veteran to be provided with new VA examinations to determine the current severity of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and remanded the remaining issues due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claims for separate compensable evaluations for various scars and shrapnel wounds have been denied.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability is rated at 30 percent from May 31, 2018. He also received a grant of service connection for left upper extremity radiculopathy with an effective date of February 25, 2019, and a scar, status post cervical fusion with an effective date of December 28, 2016.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to January 6, 2017 and granted it from that date onward. The decision found that the Veteran was not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities prior to January 6, 2017.

The Veteran's skin disabilities, including a MRSA sternal wound infection and sternum scar, are not service-connected. The Board denied the claims for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for hearing loss was denied. The Board also found that there is insufficient evidence to establish service connection for acid reflux disorder, colon disorder, stomach disorder, and skin disorder (melanoma and associated scarring).

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including ratings for his right inguinal hernia repair and ankle strain. The Veteran also requested a TDIU rating due to his psychiatric disability.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's hair loss, which is currently diagnosed as centrifugal scarring alopecia. The examiner must consider and address the Veteran's lay statements about her hair loss in service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are deemed to meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation grant, but a VA examination is needed to determine her eligibility based on current functional impairment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, acne with residual scarring, sleep apnea, tension headaches, left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, left knee degenerative joint disease, right shoulder tendinitis, lumbosacral spine degenerative arthritis, chronic right ankle strain, bilateral pes planus, right great toe injury, hypertension, left and right knee instability, and traumatic brain injury, have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment since June 11, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating as they are not severe enough to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for coronary artery bypass graft residuals and bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The Veteran's TDIU claim as of February 19, 2014, but not earlier, is granted. The Veteran's special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance, being permanently housebound, or at the housebound rate prior to February 8, 2017, and from June 1, 2017, to December 22, 2019, is remanded.

The Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, but his right ankle disability does not warrant an extraschedular rating. The claims for sleep apnea and entitlement to an extraschedular TDIU are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) as his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantial gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy of the left eye and remanded other issues including service connection for bilateral eye disorders, other than a pterygium, and an earlier effective date for nonservice-connected pension benefits.