Scars Board decisions

The veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and entitlement to an increased evaluation for keloid scar of the left ear have been granted. Service connection for hearing loss is pending.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, and other conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has granted a 10 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound to the right foot with a visible scar and retained foreign bodies, effective from July 1997.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), and an increased evaluation for residuals of a second degree burn with scarring of the left leg. The claim for restoration of a 30 percent evaluation for frostbite of both feet was also denied.

The VA determined that the veteran's scars on his left leg and ankle do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected residuals of a shell fragment wound of the neck and scar of the left lateral chest wall do not meet the criteria for increased evaluations.

The Board granted an increased rating for bilateral pes planus with hallux valgus and bunions, but denied service connection for a scar of the left foot as a residual of an injury, tinea pedis claimed as secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus with hallux valgus and bunions, hemorrhoids, and sinusitis and perennial sinorhinitis.

The veteran's dacryocystitis, left eye, with stenosis residuals of fracture of nasal bone and left zygoma is rated at 20 percent. The disfiguring scar with nasal obstruction remains at 10 percent.

The veteran's service-connected donor site scars of the right tibia, left thigh, and left abdomen were found not to be tender or painful on objective demonstration. As a result, an increased rating is denied.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his right elbow disability is being remanded due to the need for comprehensive neurologic and orthopedic examinations.

The VA denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of facial scars, as his application to reopen the claim was received on November 16, 1994.

The Board has determined that the veteran's overpayment of disability compensation benefits should be waived for a portion covering December 1, 1994, through March 31, 1998. However, recovery is denied for the period from October 1, 1994, through November 31, 1994.

The veteran's back injury with scar was granted a 40 percent evaluation, and his claim for individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities remains pending.

The veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not show an increase in impairment warranting separate ratings or a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's post-surgical scars to the scalp do not warrant an evaluation in excess of 50 percent, while his scars to the right thigh donor sites are currently rated at 20 percent and do not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The VA has denied the veteran's claim for a higher evaluation of his residual scar over the left mandible, currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his residual scar laceration of the forehead with frontal headaches by history, finding that the evidence did not show moderate disfigurement or ulceration/painful tender scars. The veteran's headaches were also found unrelated to his service-connected scar.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and an increased evaluation for right shoulder scars. The effective date is set at October 31, 2000.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his burn scars of both legs, finding that they do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has granted service connection for scars of the left popliteal area and assigned a 10 percent evaluation, effective October 13, 1992. The veteran's claim was initially denied but later reopened due to new evidence.