Scars Board decisions

The veteran's death was not due to his own willful misconduct, but he did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 as he was not rated as totally disabled for a period of at least ten years immediately preceding his death.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for skin disorders, including as residuals of exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange), is not well grounded. The evidence did not show a chronic disability during service or continuity of symptomatology after service related to his current conditions.

The veteran's service-connected ureteral calculus, right and left, with residual tender and painful scar is rated at 10 percent. The RO has granted the increased rating but noted that the pain extends beyond just a tender surgical scar.

The Board granted a compensable rating of 10% for the veteran's scar, right anterotibial tuberosity based on its tender and painful nature.

The Board has granted an initial compensable evaluation of 10% for the veteran's service-connected scar, right eyelid. The claim for rhinitis/sinusitis is not supported by evidence meeting the criteria for a compensable evaluation. An initial compensable evaluation of 10% is also granted for degenerative spurring, cervical spine.

The VA determined that the appellant's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment based on his educational attainment and occupational experience.

The veteran's service-connected left hip fracture and scar of the left elbow are currently rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted for either condition.

The veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred on May 28, 1997 were denied because the treatment was not related to a service-connected condition and was not an emergent condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral eye, left knee, and left clavicle disorders do not warrant increased ratings. The lumbar spine disorder is rated as 40 percent disabling.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic lumbosacral strain and tinnitus, are sufficiently severe to prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for tuberculosis with scarring of the lungs, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The veteran's death was caused by suicide, which the Board found to be due to service-connected disabilities and personal legal problems.,The veteran had a combined 100% disability rating for his service-connected conditions from April 1989 until his death in April 1998.

The veteran's appeal was granted, with service connection for a shell fragment wound scar of the neck and a 0 percent rating assigned. Service connection for malaria was not granted.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities have been rated based on their current functional impairment. The highest possible rating for each condition has been granted.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to provide for his own daily self-care or unable to protect himself from the hazards or dangers incident to his daily environment, and thus he does not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.

The veteran's back disability, scars, and muscle and nerve damage are not service-connected. However, the VA surgery in June 1996 resulted in additional compensable conditions that were a necessary consequence of the procedure.

The VA denied a compensable evaluation for a traumatic scar above the right eye as it is asymptomatic and results in no more than slight disfigurement.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, and also found that his skin cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected right thigh disorders do not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right arm condition and glomerulonephritis, made him unable to work as of May 1, 1995. The effective date for the TDIU rating is set at May 1, 1995.