Scars decisions — 2026

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for their right thumb disability, bilateral pes planus, spondylolisthesis (back disability), residual arthritis of the left wrist, radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve of the right and left lower extremities, and laceration scar of the third digit of the right hand. The claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's eligibility to specially adapted housing (SAH) is granted due to his permanent and total disability involving both lower extremities, which precludes locomotion without the aid of assistive devices. The appeal for special home adaptation (SHA) is dismissed as it is rendered moot by the grant of SAH.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder, including an ACL tear and internal derangement, as well as his right fifth finger fracture, is granted. The issue of entitlement to a compensable rating in excess of 0 percent for residuals of the right fifth finger proximal phalanx fracture is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for a scar, right ankle condition, and neck condition due to errors in obtaining relevant medical records. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered with these records.

The Veteran's disability rating for his service-connected residual scars of a left tympanoplasty with tragal cartilage and fascial graft with mastoidectomy was reduced, but the reduction was not properly followed due to the lack of a predetermination hearing. The Board has restored the original 30 percent evaluation effective from November 1, 2024.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, is granted. The left knee scars and meniscal tear are rated at 30 percent each, effective as of the date of decision.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the December 2024 VA examination, which did not address pain levels or post-surgical scars. The Board will schedule an appropriate VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected right knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate medical opinions and missing VA treatment records. The Veteran's gynecological disorders, including uterine prolapse, are being evaluated in relation to her service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to conflicting medical evidence regarding the number of right knee scars and whether they have been painful throughout the appeal period.

The Board has identified several duty-to-assist errors and is remanding the claims for service connection due to incomplete medical records, lack of proper notification, and inadequate examinations.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and the Board found that a higher rating of 100 percent is not warranted due to lack of total occupational and social impairment.,For his lumbar spine disability, the Veteran was denied a higher rating as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for ankylosis or other severe functional limitations.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for scar, left knee status post total replacement is denied.,The Veteran's entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 60 percent for left total knee arthroplasty with left knee strain is denied.

The Veteran was unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, and the Board granted a TDIU for the period from February 20, 2020 to January 21, 2022.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, and the Board dismissed it.

The Veteran's recurrent right shoulder degenerative changes to include chronic pain are granted as secondary to the service-connected left shoulder osteoarthritis. The effective date for the award of service connection for lumbosacral strain is set at April 23, 2014.

The Veteran's cervical spondylosis and lumbosacral spine degenerative changes with spasm are rated at the maximum allowed under VA guidelines. The Veteran was granted a 20 percent disability rating for his left shoulder status post rotator cuff repair and Mumford procedure, right shoulder impingement status post subacromial decompression, hemorrhoids, and chronic right ankle sprains status post excision ganglion cyst with residual scar.

The Veteran's knee disabilities, including degenerative arthritis with instability and limited flexion, are rated at the maximum available under VA regulations. The Veteran does not meet criteria for higher ratings based on additional functional loss or other factors.

The Board has denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's right elbow linear scar status post surgery cellulitis, finding that the evidence does not support a higher evaluation under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's migraine headaches, anemia, GERD (hiatal hernia status post repair with fundoplication), and scars, status post fundoplication have been granted service connection. The effective dates for these conditions are March 11, 2004, September 6, 2016, September 6, 2016, and September 6, 2016 respectively. A rating of 50% has been assigned for migraine headaches as of March 11, 2004.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied in May 2018, and the effective date of his TDIU award is October 12, 2023.,The Veteran's eligibility for DEA benefits based on permanent total service-connected disability is granted from September 13, 2022.