Scars Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED for additional development of issues including service connection for right leg/ankle, right knee, and left leg/ankle disabilities; increased rating for facial scars; and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression and anxiety) and hearing loss, tinnitus, and ear pain. Service connection for a right foot disability is also REMANDED.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a back disability and residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as the issue of entitlement to an initial 30 percent evaluation, and no higher, for residual scar status post neck laceration. The Veteran's claims are now pending before VA for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including consideration of a June 2018 VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including migraine headaches and knee conditions, make it impossible for her to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has withdrawn the appeal of the issue regarding entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The remaining issues have been remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus, right inguinal hernia residuals, tinnitus, allergic rhinitis, and bilateral hearing loss, have prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment since May 30, 2018. The Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis effective that date.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing STRs and SPRs, requiring further development including VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment from March 11, 2014 to September 23, 2015. A total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was granted for this period.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an opinion on whether the Veteran's current heart disorders are related to his in-service herbicide exposure or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be related to his service-connected disabilities, specifically a left thigh muscle injury, a left thigh scar, and a left corneal abrasion. As such, the claim for service connection for PTSD as due to service connected disabilities is granted.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral ocular histoplasmosis and scarring of the lungs due to bilateral ocular histoplasmosis for further development. The issues are inextricably intertwined, so both conditions must be addressed together.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for service connection of a left eye disorder and compensable evaluation for surgical scars on the lower anterior left knee. The Board found no current evidence of a left eye disorder or functional impairment from his reported symptoms, thus denying these claims. For the scars on the left lateral and upper anterior knees, the Board noted that there was no indication of instability or pain in any of the scars, which precluded an increased evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7804.

The Board has revised its May 2020 decision, denying a separate 10 percent rating for laceration to the left hand, as it was duplicative of the 10 percent rating assigned in February 2019 for painful scar, left hand.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for various knee disorders and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to new evidence added to the record since the last supplemental statement of the case (SSOC). The Veteran is also being asked to provide a TDIU claim form, as his service-connected disabilities may prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran did not have a current disability related to his active service.,For the inguinal hernias with retained metallic spring in pelvis and surgical scars post-bilateral hernia repair, the Board found no evidence of a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for a hernia surgery scar and her initial increased disability rating for non-scar residuals of hernia surgery have been denied by the Board.

The Veteran's right ankle disability has been granted a 10% rating, effective from the date of the decision. The Veteran's service-connected right ankle scars have not met the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded three separate claims for service connection for scars, including one related to a gunshot wound. The Veteran's testimony and examination findings indicate the need for additional evaluations of his left knee scar, left lateral eyes scar, and posterior trunk scar.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for her service-connected right ankle disability is being remanded due to the need for updated medical records and a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a hernia surgery scar has been reopened and granted. The Board also found that the Veteran's major depressive disorder is related to military sexual trauma during service.