Scars Board decisions

The veteran's disabilities do not meet the criteria for an increased rate of nonservice-connected pension by reason of being in need of regular aid and attendance or having a single permanent disability rated 100 percent under the Schedule, with additional disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent or more, or being permanently housebound.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of a right eyebrow scar cannot be granted as there is no legal basis to support such a request.

The VA has denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating of his service-connected appendectomy scar, currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the effective date for the grant of service connection for a corneal scar of the right eye, residual of ulcer removal cannot be earlier than March 2, 1999 as there is no evidence of a pending claim prior to this date.

The veteran's bilateral ocular histoplasmosis with macular scarring and decreased right eye vision is currently rated at 30 percent, while his migraine headaches are also rated at 30 percent. The veteran's conditions were found to be service-connected based on direct evidence.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating and earlier effective date for his service-connected sebaceous cyst with residual scars was granted. He is now rated at 10 percent, but the effective date remains August 1, 2000.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected conditions result in loss of use of one or both feet, warranting a higher level of special monthly compensation.

The veteran's service-connected intermittent transient large bowel obstruction, status post colostomy is rated at 10 percent. Service connection for sciatic nerve involvement and paresthesia of the right foot are granted as secondary to his service-connected gunshot wounds.

The veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation and earlier effective date for a disfiguring scar of the left mandible was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating or an earlier effective date.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to arteriosclerotic heart disease, which began many years after service and was not caused or worsened by his service-connected pleurisy with empyema and postoperative scar.

The Board has granted an effective date of October 3, 1996 for the grant of a 10 percent evaluation for painful scar from postoperative varicocele ilio-inguinal nerve. The claim for extraschedular evaluation under 38 C.F.R. § 3.321(b)(1) was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected right and left lateral thigh scars, finding that they do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under any applicable Diagnostic Codes.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for post-thrombotic syndrome, umbilical hernia, surgical scar of the left patella, and residuals of a left patella fracture have been denied as there is no evidence of stasis pigmentation or eczema in the lower extremity, small asymptomatic umbilical hernia, limited knee function not attributable to the scar, and no ankylosis of the knee.

The veteran's right lower extremity muscle gunshot wound disability, including the quadriceps and hamstring muscles, is rated at 10 percent. The VA has also granted service connection for his right knee arthritis due to this disability.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for residuals of an injury to the left middle finger was denied by the RO, as his disability is currently rated at 10 percent and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an extension of a temporary total rating based on convalescence under 38 C.F.R. § 4.30, finding no medical evidence demonstrating severe post-operative residuals from his December 1999 surgery.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for left knee instability, left thigh scar residuals of a shell fragment wound with left knee arthritis and ankylosis, or PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations and effective dates related to his service-connected disabilities, including residuals of an excision of a benign right testicle nodule and residuals of a scar of the lower lip.

The appellant's schizophrenia prevents him from working, and he is found unemployable by reason of his disabilities.

The Board found that the interruption of vocational rehabilitation benefits was proper, but the discontinuance of these benefits was not. The veteran's case was placed in 'interrupted status' and then later in 'discontinued status'.