Scars decisions — 2022

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a right kneecap injury, right knee scars, and residuals of trauma to fingers of the left hand. The decision is based on the Veteran's consistent reports of an explosive C4 accident during his active duty in Japan.

The Veteran is unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, including chronic adjustment disorder with alcohol use disorder, right foot disability, left foot disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, GERD, and left foot scar. The Board has granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment since March 5, 2018.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for further development, specifically an in-person VA examination to assess muscle function limitations caused by the service-connected scar.

The Board has remanded the claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance or housebound status due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's stepson steals his medications, causing him to hide some of them. A new VA examination is needed to determine if he requires care or assistance on a regular basis to protect himself from hazards in his daily environment.

The Veteran's headaches are rated at 50 percent from March 7, 2015 to October 10, 2017. From July 6, 2022, the rating is denied.,The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a TDIU prior to October 10, 2017 due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection were denied. The denial of the increased rating claim is based on the scar not meeting the criteria for a compensable rating prior to August 8, 2019, and a 10 percent rating from that date. The denial of service connection was due to lack of evidence linking the brain lesions or pituitary microadenoma to service.

The Veteran's left knee chondral fissuring has resolved, and his current symptoms are attributable to nonservice-connected conditions. His service-connected left thigh scars have been rated as noncompensably disabling since October 27, 2005.

Service connection for irritable bowel syndrome is granted.,Service connection for diverticulitis with surgical scar and hemicolectomy is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of his claimed conditions. The case will be returned to VA for further development, including obtaining military police records and conducting medical examinations.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and reviewing the coroner's report. The appellant is seeking service connection for the cause of her husband's death due to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the cases for further examination and clarification of the Veteran's symptoms related to his left wrist ulnar neuropathy, including distinguishing between symptoms caused by arthritis and those caused by the ulnar neuropathy. The rating for the surgical scar is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the evaluation of the ulnar neuropathy.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability are being remanded due to the VA Regional Office failing to obtain his Social Security Administration records prior to issuing its December 8, 2020 decision.

The Veteran's application for benefits under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) was remanded due to a lack of caregiver training and an inability to complete assessments within 90 days. The claim is being returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's appeals for various conditions and service connection claims have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of June 1, 2015 for the grant of a TDIU and basic eligibility to DEA benefits. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of that date.

The Veteran's service-connected status post esophageal surgery with dysphagia and residual scar associated with peptic ulcer disease, along with type II diabetes mellitus, rendered him unable to maintain gainful employment. The Board granted SMC based on housebound status beginning September 30, 2014.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his service-connected cervical spine scar, finding that the evidence did not show any characteristics of disfigurement, visible or palpable tissue loss, or gross distortion or asymmetry of features.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. Service connection for IBS was not granted, while the Veteran's left hand arthritis, long finger arthritis, thumb arthritis, strictureplasty scar, right knee chondromalacia patella, and left knee chondromalacia patella all remained at noncompensable levels.

The Veteran's renal dysfunction and partial gastrectomy have resulted in a TDIU from June 1, 2016 to April 11, 2018 due to the physical limitations caused by his service-connected conditions.