Scars decisions — 2026

The Board has granted an effective date of April 14, 1972 for the award of service connection for scars and denied a compensable disability rating.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to sleep wake disorder, CFS, and service-connected back scars.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as it found that the benefits originally sought have been granted in full, and thus there is no longer a specific error of fact or law to address.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, PTSD, and multiple orthopedic conditions, prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's burn scars are not compensable, as they cover less than the required area for a 10% rating.,Left lower extremity radiculopathy is not service-connected and may not be presumed to have been incurred during service.

The Board dismissed the appeal as it did not receive any arguments or evidence from the Veteran and his attorney within the allotted time.

The Veteran's left ankle scar is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that the evidence does not support a compensable rating.,The Veteran's left ankle fracture with osteoarthritis and tendinitis is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board has remanded this issue for further development.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.,Given the grant of TDIU based on his service-connected PTSD, the Veteran has a single service-connected disability rated as total (PTSD) and additional service-connected disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent or more.

The Veteran withdrew all appeals regarding his service-connected conditions and related disability ratings, effective as of March 16, 2026.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient detail in a previous VA medical opinion regarding whether malaria or scarlet fever during service contributed to the Veteran's death. The case must be returned for further evaluation.

The Veteran's scars of the left axilla cyst removal and left fifth finger are rated at 10 percent disabling, but do not meet the criteria for a higher rating as they do not have an area or areas of at least 12 square inches (77 sq. cm.) but less than 72 square inches (465 sq. cm.).

The Board has granted an effective date of September 23, 2009 for the grant of a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities preventing the Veteran from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically failing to obtain additional examinations for right hand numbness and intermittent sensations. The Veteran's claims are now pending again with the AOJ.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The initial rating of 10 percent for migraines was granted, but the anterior neck scar and vertigo claims remain at their current non-compensable ratings.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for cholecystectomy with chronic cholecystitis and gallbladder laparoscopy scars as secondary to a service-connected condition due to an incomplete VA examination that did not address causation or aggravation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability, meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU throughout the appeal period. However, conflicting work history makes it impossible to determine his employment status during the period on appeal.

The Veteran's appeals for reductions in disability ratings were dismissed because the proposed reductions were not final decisions and did not include a hearing request.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee scar secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability status post knee replacement. However, the rating for PTSD remains at 30 percent and needs to be re-adjudicated due to a failure to obtain private mental health treatment records.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding his claims for an increased disability evaluation for a right index finger scar and service connection for a left hand disorder due to withdrawal of these appeals by the Veteran.