Scars decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various injuries, including bilateral eye scars, cervical spine injury, left and right knee injuries, lumbar spine injury, and right hip injury. The claims are being returned to VA for further development.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of TMJ, as well as examinations for left sided sciatica, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, right ankle sprain with instability, sinusitis, status post lumbar spine scar, and spermatocele, status post vasectomy. The claims are remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence and examination.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion on whether his obstructive sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder with depression.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for coronary artery disease and scars have been remanded due to the need for additional development of medical records.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to increased ratings for service-connected disabilities and the TDIU issue. Additional development is needed before a final decision can be made.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's subtotal gastrectomy for duodenal ulcer disease and a noncompensable rating for his scar of the anterior abdomen, both effective from July 8, 2014.

The Veteran's service connection claims for ganglion cysts, right wrist and left wrist were denied. The Veteran was granted initial compensatory disability ratings for hypertension and cardiomyopathy, as well as an initial 20 percent rating for a left shoulder condition. Other service-connected conditions received increased or new disability ratings.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to care for some daily personal needs and protect himself from the hazards of his daily environment without the assistance of others, warranting SMC based on the need for A&A.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD due to the inability to verify an in-service stressor. The Veteran's initial compensable evaluation for a scar on his thumb is remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection due to conflicting medical opinions and lack of clear evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's lung disability, including his service connection claims. The case will be reviewed with a new VA examination and medical opinion.

The Veteran's scars associated with gallbladder removal surgery are rated as stable and unpainful, with a total area less than 39 sq. cm., which does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right leg gunshot wound, contributed to his death from heart failure. The decision grants service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following gainful employment from May 21, 2007 to September 14, 2007. However, the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether he was unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities from May 21, 2008 to November 24, 2015.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions likely render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's service-connected musculoskeletal and associated neurological disabilities have rendered him physically incapable of meeting the demands of full-time employment, allowing for a TDIU effective prior to August 8, 2019.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, either before or after July 26, 2012.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's presumed herbicide exposure during service. The claims will be reviewed again with a focus on whether thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, and scar residuals are related to service, including presumed herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for her service-connected right foot residual scar associated with a right foot bunionectomy was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher disability rating as there is no objective evidence of pain and the scar consists of only one scar.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of all claims in an October 2019 written statement.