Scars decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a VA medical opinion to address whether her current right ankle disability and scar are related to service, as well as any aggravation of these conditions by other service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable. The left eye epiretinal membrane with chorioretinal scar was granted a 10 percent rating from October 31, 2014. For the left knee and right knee conditions, the Veteran's ratings remain unchanged.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable evaluation for right knee residual scar, service connection for chest trauma, and left knee disability have been denied. The Veteran's claim for TBI has been remanded.,The Veteran's claims for service connection of traumatic brain injury (TBI), right shoulder disability have been remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU as his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the ratings for bilateral wrist disabilities and the compensable rating for a right wrist scar.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from engaging in substantially gainful employment prior to March 3, 2018. The Board granted a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and a TDIU on an extraschedular basis is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further consideration, including referral to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for extraschedular TDIU evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case due to an incomplete VA examination, specifically regarding whether the Veteran's head scars were unstable throughout the period on appeal. The Veteran reported continuous bleeding and inability to wear hats or anything that put pressure on his scalp.

The Veteran's increased rating claim for his right inguinal hernia and scars is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to assess the severity of his condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for rhabdomyolysis and a left leg scar, finding that the conditions did not meet the criteria for such evaluations under applicable VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his abdominal scars was denied as the evidence did not show that he met the criteria for an increased rating prior to April 15, 2021.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating after April 15, 2021, was also denied because the evidence did not show that he met the criteria for an increased rating.

The Veteran's claims for right shoulder impingement syndrome, acromioclavicular joint separation, and surgical scars associated with the condition were granted effective July 21, 1997. The Board found that new VA treatment records submitted within one year of a previous denial constituted new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's abdominal scar, resulting from a Nissen fundoplication procedure to treat gastrointestinal disability, is at least as likely as not etiologically related to his active service. Therefore, service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's initial ratings for scars and pilonidal cyst removal have been denied. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and sleep apnea.,A new VA examination is required to assess the current severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability due to his recent testimony indicating worsening symptoms.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting the grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's employment conditions from January 23, 2007 were consistent with those of a marginal or protected employment situation due to his service-connected disabilities. The Board granted the Veteran's claim for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective from January 23, 2007.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment as of May 1, 2018.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluations for his right eye and left ear hearing loss, as well as service connection for his right ear hearing loss. The claims are being remanded due to the need for new examinations to assess the current severity of these disabilities.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings for various conditions, including hemorrhoids, TMJ, right thumb scar, and cerebral hemisphere infarction residuals, need to be remanded due to procedural errors and the need for additional evidence.