Scars Board decisions

The Board has determined that an effective date earlier than September 11, 1997 for the award of additional aid and attendance allowance under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1114(r)(2) is legally precluded due to the veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his right groin scar, finding that it did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation under VA's skin disability rating schedule.

The Board found that cancellation of the veteran's access to fee-basis treatment was proper due to the availability of care at VA facilities and the lack of evidence showing geographical inaccessibility or inability of VA facilities to provide required care.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and employment information to determine if an extra-schedular rating is warranted due to daytime work limitations or nighttime driving restrictions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected burn scars of the left arm and forearm do not warrant an initial compensable evaluation, as they do not cause functional impairment or require frequent hospitalization.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a personal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO via videoconference. The case will be returned to the Board after this is done.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected bilateral flat feet and facial scar were denied by the RO.

The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew it.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected abdomen residual burn scar, currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations and effective date prior to April 1, 2004 for the grant of individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that there is no current disability related to the veteran's legs, and thus denied his claim for service connection for a bilateral leg condition. The issue of residuals of pneumonia was remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board found no evidence of current disabilities associated with the veteran's claimed scars and denied all service connection claims.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and due process concerns, including obtaining service records related to a truck accident in Germany and scheduling the veteran for examinations to assess his bilateral knee disability and laceration scars.

The Board denied service connection for gastrointestinal disability, left ear hearing loss disability, and an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for a left thumb scar.

The Board denied the appellant's request to reopen her claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that new and material evidence had not been presented.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his Alzheimer's disease, preventing him from attending scheduled VA examinations.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The case is remanded to the RO for scheduling a Board videoconference hearing.

The veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for his right ring finger laceration scar was denied. The petition to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for a lung disability, presumed due to Agent Orange exposure, is reopened. However, the underlying claim for service connection for a lung disability and claims for peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities are not supported by evidence showing a link to service or Agent Orange exposure.