Scars decisions — 2023

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the cause of death (migraine headaches) is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeals for various conditions and service connection have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's residuals of basal cell carcinoma, including a scar, are related to his service and grants this claim.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection, as they are inextricably intertwined with his cervical spine disability claim.,These issues include secondary service connection for cervical spine disability, OSA, scar of the right anterior base of neck, and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability. The issues of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for a left shoulder scar, a higher rating for the left shoulder disability, and a higher rating for the right knee disability are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for an increased rating for a left wrist disability and left wrist scars due to incomplete compliance with previous remands. The Veteran needs another VA examination to determine if numbness is part of his service-connected disabilities or a separate condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and depression, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's residuals of gallbladder removal are currently rated at 30 percent, effective from the date of the decision.,Service connection for scars associated with melanoma is remanded as there is insufficient evidence to establish a link between service and the condition.

The Veteran's service-connected surgical scars, bilateral knees, have been rated as noncompensably disabling since July 3, 1996. The Board found no basis to assign a compensable rating at any point from July 3, 1996, forward.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an initial 10 percent rating for a painful abdominal scar, effective as of the date of decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the current state of the Veteran's surgical scar, including her reported symptoms and their impact on her daily life.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left knee surgical scars has been denied. The Board has also remanded the TDIU issue due to insufficient evidence regarding the impact of his disability on his employment.

The Veteran's request for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected left chest painful scar was denied. He also had an initial rating denied for his other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder, but he received separate ratings for the same condition.,Effective dates were not granted earlier than February 11, 2015, for both the increased rating of the left chest scar and service connection for the other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to June 22, 2012.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of inservice vaginal infections or a miscarriage is denied, and the case is remanded for further examination regarding her left knee disability.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the collective impact of her service-connected disabilities on her ability to work.

The Veteran's claim for total disability due to individual unemployability on an extraschedular basis is remanded as the Board finds that he does not meet the schedular requirements for TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a). The case is referred to VA's Director of Compensation Service for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU award.

The Board has granted service connection for a chorioretinal scar of the right eye. The Veteran's other diagnosed disorders of the right and left eyes are remanded to determine if they are proximately due to or aggravated by his now service-connected chorioretinal scar of the right eye.

The Veteran's initial compensable ratings for status post right inguinal hernia repair and surgical scar, status post right inguinal hernia repair have been denied.,The Veteran's eczema issue is remanded due to new evidence submitted after the February 2020 VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation for his service-connected right ankle disability and a TDIU due to procedural issues, lack of evidence, and need for further development.