Scars Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected scar has been denied. The effective dates for the awards of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and for the right knee scar have also been denied.,Claims for service connection for skin cancer, hypothyroidism, neck/cervical spine disability, and headaches are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the award of a separate compensable rating for left wrist tenosynovitis is denied. The Board has also remanded his claim for a higher rating for painful surgical scar, left wrist.

Service connection for high cholesterol is dismissed.,Entitlement to an effective date earlier than April 17, 2017, for service connection for status post left shoulder joint replacement (non-dominant), including degenerative arthritis, is denied.,Entitlement to an effective date earlier than April 17, 2017, for service connection for a left shoulder surgical scar is denied.,Entitlement to an effective date earlier than April 17, 2017, for service connection for hypertension is denied.,New and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a knee disability. The petition to reopen is denied.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to new evidence submitted after a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal because his May 2016 substantive appeal was not timely filed, as it came in over 100 days after the appeals period ended. The presumption of regularity in mailing the SOC has not been rebutted.

The Veteran's right hand scars are currently evaluated as noncompensable due to the lack of an area or areas meeting the criteria for a compensable rating.,The Veteran's right foot fracture residuals have been granted a 20 percent rating, subject to further review and remand if necessary.,Bilateral hearing loss has not met the criteria for a compensable rating based on current evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the Veteran had a thymic cyst of the left vocal cord, which resulted in residual scars and migraine headaches. Service connection was not granted for hypertension or erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues with earlier effective date for service connection of painful scar in the anterior trunk associated with splenectomy and service connection for left lower extremity osteopenia.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The TBI claim was denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating, while the migraine headaches, shrapnel scar in the right leg, and superficial shell fragment wound of the forehead claims were all denied due to lack of supporting evidence.

The Veteran's right knee scars were rated at 20 percent since April 30, 2020. The Board found that the scars did not meet criteria for a higher rating as they were not associated with underlying soft tissue damage and did not cover an area of 144 square inches or more.

The Veteran's hallux valgus of the right and left feet, along with associated degenerative arthritis and plantar fasciitis, have been granted increased ratings. However, her scars from bunionectomies are being referred for extraschedular consideration.,A TDIU claim is also being remanded to determine if the Veteran was working part-time due to service-connected disabilities prior to December 13, 2019.

The Veteran's scars of the right flank, right lower abdomen, right mid-abdomen, right posterior hip, right third finger, and right mid-palm are painful but did none of them result in frequent loss of covering of skin over the scar. Therefore, a rating in excess of 30 percent is denied.

The Veteran's appeals for increased PTSD rating, initial hepatitis C rating, and service connection for scars of the left hand have been dismissed as he withdrew his requests before a decision was made.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an extraschedular TDIU during the appellate period from July 27, 2005, to October 10, 2011, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's SMC at a higher level claim is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his functional impairment related to his service-connected disabilities, particularly his knee injuries and spinal stenosis.

The Veteran's knee disabilities are remanded for further development.,The Veteran's foot disabilities are remanded for further development.,The Veteran's bilateral hallux valgus is remanded for further development.,The Veteran's hearing loss and dizziness claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the percentage requirements for a schedular TDIU rating prior to November 5, 2019. The Board found that the evidence is persuasively against a finding that the Veteran was unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's tinnitus and left foot surgical scar have been granted service connection, with the tinnitus receiving a 10% evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including obstructive sleep apnea, optic atrophy of the right eye, and multiple sclerosis-related conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation for the entire appeal period.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities prior to June 12, 2015, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.