Scars decisions — 2024

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as his service-connected conditions did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial compensable rating for his right wrist conditions due to inadequate VA medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for scarring of his left and right feet, as well as issues related to effective dates for service connection.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings, service connection, and other issues are being remanded due to procedural errors in the legacy system. The Board will issue a Statement of the Case (SOC) on these matters.

The Board has remanded several secondary service connection claims for the Veteran's head and neck cancer, including loss of taste, swallowing difficulty, a left neck scar, post-operative nerve involvement of the neck and throat (CN IX and XII), and post-operative nerve involvement of the jaw (CN VII). The remand is due to additional development needed regarding whether the Veteran acquired HPV in service or if his in-service throat infections rendered him more susceptible to contracting HPV.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board found that the Veteran could perform sedentary work and telework despite his back pain.

The Veteran's right knee scar is granted a 10% rating prior to September 25, 2018. The remaining issues are remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further review of new evidence submitted by the Veteran, including VA treatment records from 2021 to 2023. The AOJ will issue a supplemental statement of the case that considers this additional evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment as of February 7, 2017. Prior to that date, the evidence did not demonstrate sufficient disability to meet TDIU criteria.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hidradenitis suppurative and scars, as well as her claim for TDIU due to potential issues with extraschedular ratings and development of her TDIU claim.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for all issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, as he withdrew his appeal prior to issuance of a decision.

The Board denied service connection for lateral epicondylitis of the right elbow and erectile dysfunction, as well as a compensable rating for residuals of a perforated ear drum (healed ruptured right tympanic membrane) and left ear hearing loss. The claim for a rating for right eardrum scar was granted with a 10 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's cause of death is related to his service-connected conditions and presumed exposure to herbicide agents while stationed in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The effective dates for the awards of service connection are not earlier than September 30, 2019.

The Veteran's left knee disability and left knee scar were evaluated, with the left knee disability denied for an increased rating. The issues of service connection for osteomyelitis, back disability, and neck disability are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for clothing allowances due to lidocaine cream and patches, finding that they were not related to service-connected skin conditions and did not cause irreparable damage to his outergarments.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to December 31, 2013 were denied as there was no evidence of an informal or formal claim filed before that date.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to obtain and/or maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted TDIU.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for recurrent genital warts and scars associated with those conditions, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA regulations.