Scars Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obesity is dismissed as a matter of law. The Board also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's craniotomy scar of the apical scalp is granted a 10 percent evaluation. The Veteran's allergic rhinitis and erectile dysfunction are both denied as they do not meet the criteria for compensable evaluations.

The Veteran's status post above the knee amputation of the right lower extremity, residuals of multiple failed right total knee arthroplasty revisions, and RLE painful scars are rated at 60 percent and 10 percent respectively. The Board denied increased ratings for these conditions.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA eligibility were granted with effective dates of August 15, 2019.,Effective March 13, 2020, the Veteran received ratings for various service-connected conditions including stooped postures, diffuse bradykinesia and neuropathy in both lower extremities, mild neurocognitive disorder due to Parkinson's disease, partial loss of smell, speech impairment, sexual dysfunction, right-side buttocks scars, and hypertension.,The effective dates for these ratings are March 13, 2020. The Veteran's service connection claims were previously denied but reopened with new evidence supporting the claims.,Diabetes mellitus was not granted an earlier effective date than August 15, 2019.,Parkinson's disease and related conditions were also not granted an earlier effective date than March 13, 2020.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to October 21, 2015.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions render him in need of regular aid and attendance, which is granted for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for pseudofolliculitis barbae with scarring and chronic eczema marginatum groin and buttocks with scarring due to a duty to assist error, specifically failing to obtain VA treatment records from September 1987 to the present.

The reduction in the disability rating for right lower leg painful and unstable scar from 20 percent to 10 percent, effective June 28, 2022, is void ab initio, and the 20 percent rating is restored.,The Veteran's right leg internal popliteal nerve paralysis status post surgery disability manifests in moderate incomplete paralysis of the internal popliteal nerve. The criteria for a 20 percent rating have been met.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for an initial compensable rating evaluation for hearing loss, hypertension, left knee scar, right knee tricompartmental degenerative arthritis, arthritis - hands, fingers, shoulder, hips, knees and right clavicle, insomnia, low back pain, numbness in arms, or right shoulder condition.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent for left knee total replacement and a compensable rating for the associated scar was denied. The medical evidence did not support these claims.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on all issues related to arthritis, cyst or benign growth, residuals of right-hand shrapnel wound, squamous cell cancer on the back, residual scars on lower back, hearing loss, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), diabetes mellitus, type II, erectile dysfunction, gastritis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's left Achilles tendon injury. The compensable disability rating claim for peripheral corneal scar, left eye remains denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him wheelchair bound and in need of nursing home care, regular aid and attendance to prepare his meals, assist with bathing and hygiene needs, and manage medication. The Board has granted special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance but dismissed the claim for special monthly compensation at the housebound rate as moot.

The Board has remanded the claims of earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to January 10, 2013.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to February 19, 2019, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grant are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ should secure an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's total service-connected disabilities, including loss of use of extremities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and an earlier effective date for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) are being remanded due to errors in the AOJ's decision process. The issues include scar, cervical spine disability, visual field defect, and acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and initial ratings were denied. The Board found that the earliest possible effective dates have already been granted, and no higher rating was warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board denied initial compensable ratings for hemorrhoids, umbilical hernia scar, tinea pedis, and corneal opacities (claimed as residual of photorefractive keratotomy). The Veteran's service-connected conditions were not found to meet the criteria for a compensable rating.