Scars Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to January 6, 2017 and granted it from that date onward. The decision found that the Veteran was not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities prior to January 6, 2017.

The Veteran's skin disabilities, including a MRSA sternal wound infection and sternum scar, are not service-connected. The Board denied the claims for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for hearing loss was denied. The Board also found that there is insufficient evidence to establish service connection for acid reflux disorder, colon disorder, stomach disorder, and skin disorder (melanoma and associated scarring).

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including ratings for his right inguinal hernia repair and ankle strain. The Veteran also requested a TDIU rating due to his psychiatric disability.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's hair loss, which is currently diagnosed as centrifugal scarring alopecia. The examiner must consider and address the Veteran's lay statements about her hair loss in service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are deemed to meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation grant, but a VA examination is needed to determine her eligibility based on current functional impairment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, acne with residual scarring, sleep apnea, tension headaches, left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, left knee degenerative joint disease, right shoulder tendinitis, lumbosacral spine degenerative arthritis, chronic right ankle strain, bilateral pes planus, right great toe injury, hypertension, left and right knee instability, and traumatic brain injury, have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment since June 11, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating as they are not severe enough to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for coronary artery bypass graft residuals and bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The Veteran's TDIU claim as of February 19, 2014, but not earlier, is granted. The Veteran's special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance, being permanently housebound, or at the housebound rate prior to February 8, 2017, and from June 1, 2017, to December 22, 2019, is remanded.

The Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, but his right ankle disability does not warrant an extraschedular rating. The claims for sleep apnea and entitlement to an extraschedular TDIU are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) as his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantial gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetic retinopathy of the left eye and remanded other issues including service connection for bilateral eye disorders, other than a pterygium, and an earlier effective date for nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for gall bladder removal with gangrene, to include secondary conditions of liver and genitourinary disabilities, pancreatitis; acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD); and, hernia/scars of the abdomen based on treatment at VA Medical Centers in Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan is denied due to lack of evidence showing negligence or carelessness by VA.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a back disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, as well as the rating for right knee instability and limitation of motion. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, and shell fragment wound of the right deltoid muscle, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to November 27, 2015.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including a referral to the Director of Compensation Services for extraschedular TDIU rating.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for his left inguinal hernia scar prior to September 24, 2020, and for a rating in excess of 10 percent from that date was denied. The Board found no support for the assignment of higher ratings based on area affected or functional loss under either the current or pre-amended criteria.

The Veteran's left index finger scar is not rated higher than the current noncompensable rating due to its size and painfulness. A separate evaluation of 10 percent for limitation of motion of the left index finger has been granted.,Service connection for GERD, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypertension secondary to diabetes mellitus or coronary artery disease is denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service, PTSD, or exposure to herbicide agents.,The Veteran's hypertension is considered secondary to diabetes mellitus or coronary artery disease. Service connection has been remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to incomplete medical opinions and inextricably intertwined issues.