Scars decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for basal cell carcinoma with scar, left frontal scalp as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the condition and the Veteran's service, including conceded herbicide agent exposure.

The Board denied a rating higher than 10 percent for left knee osteoarthritis and denied ratings higher than 30 percent for residuals scarring of the thighs. However, it granted a separate 10 percent rating for patellofemoral complex instability.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his death.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for facial scars, right foot disability, and left foot disability as further evidence is needed.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for various conditions, including coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease, as there was no evidence of direct or presumed exposure to herbicide agents prior to the enactment of the PACT Act on August 10, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of August 15, 2022, for the assignment of a 20 percent disability rating for painful scar pilonidal cyst residuals was granted, while claims for increased ratings and compensable evaluation were denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations for ankylosis of the right thumb with degenerative arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, and surgical scar of the right thumb.

The Board denied service connection for a heart disability, to include residuals of myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease, and denied a compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae. The Board also denied a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to June 5, 2023, and a rating in excess of 30 percent from June 5, 2023, for scars, neck and left cheek, associated with pseudofolliculitis barbae. However, the Board granted service connection for a left second digit scar with pain.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for a 10 percent rating based on multiple, non-compensable, service-connected disabilities due to a clear and unmistakable error in a January 1997 rating decision.

The Board granted service connection for a scar of the left index finger and partial loss of sensation of the left index finger, finding that these conditions are related to an in-service knife laceration injury.

The Board granted service connection for a scar on the veteran's head, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The claim for service connection for a left knee condition (to include patellofemoral syndrome and DJD) is remanded for readjudication, as new and relevant evidence has been received sufficient to reopen the claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for compensable ratings for his anterior and posterior trunk spinal fusion scars but granted a total disability rating for compensation purposes due to individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's left fifth finger and right knee scars, as well as remanded claims for increased ratings for his right knee degenerative arthritis status post right knee replacement with residual strain, right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, left little finger ankylosis at the proximal interphalangeal joint status post fusion, and right little finger fracture.

The Board remands the claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral upper extremity scars due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board granted an effective date of March 28, 2019, for the grant of service connection for scalp disfigurement, a painful scalp scar, and folliculitis decalvans with alopecia.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral flat feet with plantar fasciitis and degenerative arthritis, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, entitling him to special monthly compensation at the statutory housebound rate beginning December 23, 2020.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted a 40 percent rating, but no higher. The claims for increased ratings for left lower extremity radiculopathy and right great toe scar were denied.

The appeals for an initial compensable disability rating for scar of the right lower back and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety and PTSD, are dismissed.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including eye disability, foot pain, stomach disability, bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and non-compensable ratings for post traumatic headaches, right lower extremity scars, tympanic membrane perforation, right knee tendinopathy, and lumbosacral strain.