Scars Board decisions

The veteran's claims for increased ratings are being remanded to the RO for further development, including obtaining medical records and conducting VA examinations. The RO will review the claims on the basis of all evidence of record and determine whether separate ratings should be assigned for scars, muscle damage, internal organs, and neuropathy.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and compensation for various disabilities, including a bilateral hearing loss disorder, right thigh scar, right leg disability, right ankle disability, back disability, and nervous disorder. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen his claim for a bilateral hearing loss disorder.

The veteran's service-connected residuals of a left hip shell fragment wound, muscle group XVII are rated at 20 percent. The scars from the left lower leg and abdomen are each rated as noncompensable.

The veteran's appeal is denied for the issues related to PTSD, tinnitus aurium (right ear), residuals of fracture (left mandible), burn scar (left thigh), laceration scar (right thigh), postoperative residuals (left ulna fracture with ulnar nerve transposition), and burn scars (tender, right and left forearm/hand).

The VA denied the appellant's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his tender and painful scar from left varicocele surgery, finding that it did not meet the criteria for an evaluation higher than 10 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left knee disability, but denied the other issues. The veteran's claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for a scalp scar is pending.

The Board denied increased ratings for the postoperative residuals of a right inguinal hernia with a right hydrocele, neuroma as a postoperative residual of service-connected right hernia repair, and a residual surgical scar from service-connected right hernia repair.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected shrapnel wound disabilities of the right and left buttocks, finding that the current evaluations are appropriate based on the evidence of record.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a TDIU, finding that he was unemployable due to nonservice-connected disabilities. The RO is instructed to obtain treatment records and conduct further examinations to determine if the veteran's service-connected conditions alone prevent him from working.

The Board denied reopening the veteran's claim for service connection of pterygium and also denied a compensable evaluation for his scars. The denial on both issues is final.

The veteran's initial evaluations for gastroparesis and benign skin growths with a tender and painful scar of the right hand have been granted, with an effective date of August 12, 1997.

The Board denied increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and a scar wound to the right forearm, finding that the veteran's conditions did not warrant higher ratings under VA rating criteria.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death was not related to service or a service-connected disorder.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected anxiety disorder, scars of the right forearm, gunshot wound to the right arm with scarring and incomplete paralysis of the median nerve, and gunshot wound resulting in injury to Muscle Group XV, posterior lateral aspect of the thigh were denied. The Board found that the current evaluations adequately reflected the severity of these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render her unemployable on an ascertainable date prior to September 12, 1997 and denied the claim for an earlier effective date.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have objective evidence of a left inguinal herniorrhaphy scar, and thus, the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's schedular guidelines are not met.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected scar, left leg is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional development.

The Board finds that the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than January 20, 1999, for the grant of service connection for dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is denied. The case is REMANDED to obtain all outstanding medical records and to schedule the veteran for a VA examination.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a scar on his left hand was denied. The RO found that the first formal claim for this condition was received in May 1999, and thus no earlier effective date could be granted.