Scars Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for sensorineural hearing loss and remanded the remaining claims for further development.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and restored the 10 percent rating for a deviated nasal septum, while denying a compensable rating for a frontal scalp scar.

The Board granted service connection for lower back disability as secondary to right foot plantar fasciitis and a separate 10 percent rating under DC 7804, but denied increased ratings for the other conditions.

The Board denied a compensable disability rating for colon cancer prior to March 23, 2021 and an increased rating thereafter, as well as remanded claims for asbestosis and scar, status post colon cancer due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for post-traumatic arthritis, right ankle and denied an initial compensable rating for scar residual laceration of forehead as well as a rating in excess of 10 percent for painful scar, residual, laceration of forehead. The claims for service connection for headaches, anxiety, and insomnia secondary to the service-connected scar residual laceration of forehead were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and a back scar. The claim for GERD and an acquired psychiatric disorder was denied.

The appeal was denied for a compensable rating of the left hip post-operative scar, while the claim for service connection of the right knee disorder was remanded.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for increased ratings of various left-hand conditions, including thumb neuropathy, hand scars, and thumb disability.

The Board granted service connection for myelodysplastic syndrome/leukemia, anemia, and hemochromatosis with effective dates of May 7, 2018, June 27, 2019, and June 27, 2019 respectively. The Board also denied service connection for endocarditis, myocarditis, and obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected left mid-lung benign granuloma and granted a 10 percent rating for his residual abdominal scar, left lower quadrant, due to bilateral status-post inguinal hernia repair.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability and denied initial ratings in excess of the current assigned ratings for various disabilities, including anxiety disorder, GERD, tinnitus, knee pain, wrist sprain, foot conditions, and scars.

The Board granted restoration of service connection for right middle finger laceration scar, prostate cancer surgical scar, erectile dysfunction, PTSD, malignant neoplasms of the prostate with radical prostatectomy and residual urinary incontinence due to agent orange exposure, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and special monthly compensation for loss of use of a creative organ.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of facial scars to obtain a more adequate medical opinion.

The Veteran's left finger condition, to include a ring-finger scar, is granted due to an etiological relationship with his service. Other claims for service connection are remanded.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for painful bilateral inguinal hernia repair scars, and remanded claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, a heart disability, a gastrointestinal disability, and diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied a compensable rating for acne, granted a 10 percent rating for asthma, and denied ratings greater than 10 percent for tinnitus, traumatic dislocation of septal cartilage, left wrist tendonitis, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and degenerative joint disease, and left ring finger and palm surgical scarring. The Board also granted a 10 percent rating for left ring finger status post DIP arthrodesis and nodule excision.

The Board granted a 30 percent rating for femoral nerve radiculopathy of both lower extremities and a 10 percent rating for a painful scar with one characteristic of disfigurement, while denying ratings in excess of 40 percent for sciatic nerve radiculopathy of the lower left and right extremities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and higher disability ratings, finding that the evidence did not support a more favorable outcome.

The Board granted service connection for peripheral vascular disease (PVD) as secondarily aggravated by diabetes, right leg amputation and scar as secondary to PVD, and SMC for loss of use of the right foot. The evaluation in excess of 20 percent for diabetes was denied.

The appeal for a compensable rating for the service-connected surgical scar, right flank to right lower abdomen has been withdrawn by the Veteran's representative.