Scars Board decisions

The Board denied initial compensable evaluations for residuals of a tonsillectomy and laceration scars of the right elbow and right hand.

The Board has awarded a compensable evaluation for right hand scars, denied service connection for neurological impairment of the right hand, and found new and material evidence to have been submitted to reopen the claim for hepatitis C. The veteran's claims regarding neurological impairment are not well grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left forearm scar does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating, and thus denied his appeal.

The veteran's nonservice-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes.

The veteran's residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right and left popliteal regions are currently evaluated as noncompensably disabling. The Board finds that there is no evidence supporting a higher evaluation based on service connection.

The Board has determined that there is no basis for assigning a compensable evaluation for the veteran's scars due to shell fragment wounds, as they are well healed and asymptomatic.

The Board found that the veteran's conditions did not warrant an increased rating beyond the current 10 percent assigned.

The veteran is entitled to an effective date of January 1, 1972 for the grant of special monthly compensation due to having a single service-connected disability rated at 100 percent and additional service-connected disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability and granted a 10% evaluation for the veteran's scar on his chest, finding no medical evidence linking the shoulder condition to service. The scar was found to be painful and tender upon objective evaluation.

The Board denied an increased rating for residuals of a laceration scar of the right hand, finding that the veteran's disability did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation based on service-connected scars.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent, effective from the date of his claim. The left shoulder disability remains at a 10 percent rating. The residual scars of the left popliteal space are not compensable.

The veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain and post-traumatic stress disorder are currently evaluated, but the multiple scars of the face and neck do not warrant a compensable evaluation. The veteran is denied an increased rating for his lumbosacral strain and a compensable evaluation for his facial scars. His claim for individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was also denied as his disabilities do not preclude substantially gainful employment.

The RO terminated the veteran's permanent and total disability evaluation for nonservice-connected pension purposes due to his failure to meet the requirements at the time of termination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, left knee disability, shell fragment wound scars of the upper back with degenerative changes, and low back disability. The veteran's service-connected conditions are currently rated at 50%, 10%, 20%, and 20% respectively.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings and special monthly compensation based on need of regular aid and attendance or on account of being housebound, as well as DIC under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 due to lack of evidence showing that the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities result in no more than moderately disfiguring scarring and loss of sensation, warranting a 10 percent rating. The preponderance of the evidence is against entitlement to a higher evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection, finding that his conditions were not well-grounded or met the criteria for a higher rating.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for residuals of right and left leg gunshot wounds were denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating based on his current symptoms.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational background and occupational experience.

The veteran's migraine headaches are due to her service-connected right eye HSV keratitis. She also received a higher rating for her conjunctivitis and mouth sores from HSV, and was granted a temporary total convalescent rating for the period of July 2, 1997 through December 31, 1997.