Scars Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection as new and relevant evidence was not received to support readjudication of the claims.

The Board granted a 30 percent disability evaluation for migraine headaches and denied increased ratings for other conditions, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with compression fracture L3, spondylosis L4, lumbar strain, and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), among others.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a certificate of eligibility for financial assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing due to her service-connected fibromyalgia not meeting the criteria for precluding locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair.

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle disorder, a left leg disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. However, it granted an initial rating of 20 percent for residuals of bladder cancer and 10 percent for a scar of the left lower quadrant.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and posterior scalp scarring, remanded the claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and dismissed the appeal seeking compensation for a skin condition.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran not demonstrating good cause for an untimely filing of a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) within one year of notification of the February 2023 and March 2023 rating decisions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings, finding no evidence of entitlement to an earlier date or higher ratings based on the facts found.

The Board granted service connection for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, as well as a back scar, secondary to the Veteran's lumbosacral strain. The appeal challenging the propriety of the combined evaluation of 80 percent was denied.

The Board granted service connection for a neck scar, dismissed the claim of entitlement to service connection for drug and alcohol abuse, and denied service connection for depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dizziness disorder, fatigue disorder, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, degenerative arthritis, left ankle arthritis, and left foot disorder.

The Board granted the Veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance for 2021 for a left ankle brace but denied claims for right leg and skin medication.

The Veteran's PTSD alone prevents him from maintaining and securing substantially gainful employment, thus granting a TDIU for the purpose of establishing entitlement to special monthly compensation on a schedular housebound basis.

The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for status post tendon repair of the left fifth finger and denied a compensable disability rating for linear scar of the left pinky finger, status post tendon repair.

The Board granted service connection for heart palpitations, bruxism, and bilateral dry eye, while denying service connection for the other conditions.

The veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection and rating issues, resulting in the dismissal of all claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for residual scars related to glass fragments and nonlinear scars of the back, as well as remanded a claim for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity with myofascial pain syndrome.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection and higher ratings, except for right lower extremity radiculopathy which was granted an effective date of October 24, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a painful scar, right flank s/p lipoma removal, was granted from April 27, 2020, but his request for a higher rating for the same condition and for a scar, right flank s/p lipoma removal, was denied.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's left brow scar and remanded the claim for a compensable rating for headaches.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, dermatitis of bilateral shoulders, actinic keratosis (claimed as psoriasis), multiple lipomas, fibrous papule of the right thigh, and left upper extremity scar secondary to lipomas. Several claims were remanded.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for a healed scar, cicatrices over the right thigh and remanded service connection for a psychiatric disorder.