Scars Board decisions

The veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, including a scar of the left chest and residuals from shrapnel wounds to his shoulders. The major depressive disorder is also considered service-connected.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected amebic lung abscess, amebic liver disease, and thoracotomy scar are being remanded due to inadequate VCAA notice and development.

The veteran's burn residuals of the left hand and left distal radius fracture injuries were evaluated, but neither condition met the criteria for a compensable or higher disability rating.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling an RO hearing before a hearing officer and a Board hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after these hearings.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a new VA dermatological examination to assess the severity of the appellant's laceration scars under the new rating criteria.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected pilonidal cystectomy scar does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The veteran is currently shown to be unemployable due to service-connected disabilities, and a total rating based on individual employability due to service-connected disabilities is granted.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work experience.

The veteran's death was not due to his own willful misconduct, and he had service-connected disability rated as totally disabling for a continuous period of at least one year immediately preceding his death. However, the appellant is not eligible for DIC benefits under section 1318 because the veteran did not have entitlement to compensation for a total rating for ten years prior to his death.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities have been granted and assigned initial ratings.

The Board granted service connection for a shrapnel wound to the head and scar of the right posterior parietal scalp with retained foreign bodies. The veteran's claims for increased ratings were also granted.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development and adjudicative action, including addressing the issues of service connection for right leg pain and foot pain as secondary to service-connected thoracotomy.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected varicose veins and scar did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from end stage cardiomyopathy.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected healed scar, occipital area, residual of lacerated wound warrants a 10 percent rating effective August 30, 2002. The criteria for this rating were met as there was one characteristic of disfigurement (scar width at least 1/4 inch wide) under the revised skin disability rating criteria.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of a scar as a residual of a fracture of the right tibia is being remanded. Additionally, his request to reopen a service connection claim for a low back disability secondary to the service-connected scar is also referred to the RO for development.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating of his right elbow scar was remanded due to the RO not addressing the applicable rating criteria from August 30, 2002. The case needs to be re-adjudicated using the correct criteria and a supplemental statement of the case should be issued.

The Board has granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, finding that it is presumed to have been incurred in the veteran's active duty service. Service connection for complications of childbirth (scar from Cesarean section) was not established.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for the cause of death, entitlement to DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and entitlement to Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35 due to lack of evidence showing a direct relationship between the veteran's service-connected conditions and his death.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected tender scars, residuals of shell fragment wounds to his legs do not warrant a higher disability rating than 10 percent.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his claimed conditions are not shown to be related to his military service.