Scars Board decisions

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for initial consideration of new medical evidence. The case will be reviewed again and a determination on the claims for service connection and evaluation of the scar will be made.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his request for a compensable evaluation for his corneal scar of the left eye, have been denied. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The veteran's SFW non-scar residuals, left leg, are currently rated at 10 percent and the claim for an increased rating is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's donor site scars of both thighs were tender and painful since his discharge from service in December 1953, warranting an effective date back to December 30, 1953 for initial noncompensable ratings. The case is now before the Board with regard to whether a higher rating should be assigned.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including severe headaches and arthritis, do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's osteochondroma of the right humerus is currently manifested by subjective complaints and objective evidence indicating damage to the radial nerve, significant loss of coordination and fine motor skill, slight range of motion loss in the fingers, decreased grip, and decreased pinprick sensation. The wart on his right fifth finger is nonpainful but limited in range of motion. Both conditions are rated at 20 percent.

The veteran's osteochondroma of the left hip is currently rated at 40 percent, and his scar of the left buttock was initially granted a noncompensable rating but remains noncompensable as of June 28, 2004.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating and entitlement to TDIU based on his service-connected corneal scar of the right eye. The RO increased the rating to 20% effective March 8, 2001.

The VA has denied an increased evaluation for burn scars on the back and neck, currently rated at 10 percent.

The veteran's combined rating for service-connected disabilities is 40%, which does not meet the criteria for a TDIU. The Board finds that his disability alone does not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of shell fragment wounds to the lower extremities and reopened a claim for service connection for a choroidal scar in the right eye, but found no current disabilities related to these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected scar of the right hand does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation, as it is a very small and asymptomatic superficial scar.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a fungus infection of the feet and an increased rating for his gunshot wound scar of the left shoulder. The claim for a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities is dismissed as moot due to the grant of a 10 percent rating for the gunshot wound scar.

The veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show a current diagnosis of tinnitus. For PTSD, the Board found that the preponderance of the evidence is against his claim for a higher evaluation, as all adverse symptomatology noted on examination was caused by non-service connected Alzheimer's disease. The veteran's right ankle disability remains at 40 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that the veteran is not entitled to an increased disability rating for his service-connected skin disabilities, as they do not meet the criteria under either the old or new VA rating schedules.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected scars, finding that neither version of the rating criteria is more beneficial to him and that the preponderance of the evidence is against each claim.

The veteran requested to withdraw their appeal regarding the compensable rating for service-connected scar left knee, and as a result, the Board has dismissed the appeal.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for a left eyelid shrapnel wound scar was received on February 10, 2003. The RO granted a 10 percent rating effective from that date based on findings from the April 2003 examination. There is no medical evidence showing the condition was disabling prior to this date.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his left foot scar disability and whether it involves any neurological symptoms. The case will be reviewed again after this additional development.