Scars Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and a shell fragment wound of the left leg with a fracture, have rendered him unable to work since July 2005. The Board has granted his claim for TDIU on an extraschedular basis from July 1, 2005.

The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy is granted service connection. The earlier effective date for TDIU from June 30, 2012 is granted. The rating in excess of 10 percent for recurrent abscesses with lichen simplex chronicus and residual scarring and tension headaches are remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete records and need for further examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and head scar are contingent on obtaining missing records.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a heart disability is denied, and his claims for increased ratings are all denied. The Board finds no evidence to support the Veteran's assertions of in-service exposure to herbicides or other incidents that would warrant presumptive service connection.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and continued the current 40 percent evaluation for the service-connected status post radical cystoprostatectomy with neobladder diversion and residual scars.,The Veteran's OSA was not found to be related to his service, including exposure to firing ammunition in a confined space. The Board also determined that the Veteran’s OSA is not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service-connected hemorrhoids have been granted. The Veteran's hypertension and scar of the right leg are denied, but his bilateral hearing loss is rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claim for a headache disorder was denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of a chronic headache disability.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for depressive disorder with anxiety and anxiety is set at September 12, 2013, which is when the Veteran filed an informal claim.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for dermatitis is set at October 7, 2013, based on a telephone call from the Veteran to VA requesting service connection for his skin rash and other disabilities.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for a scar due to back surgery is set at July 8, 2014, which is when the Veteran underwent the surgery resulting in the scar.,The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation greater than 10 percent for his service-connected dermatitis was denied as it does not meet the criteria for such a rating under the applicable VA regulations.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities is granted.

The Veteran's claim for a rating of 10 percent for right knee scars prior to May 10, 2019 is granted. The claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent from May 10, 2019 is denied due to lack of evidence of three or four painful scars.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims regarding his service-connected bilateral knee and left quadriceps disabilities, including obtaining outstanding VA treatment records and conducting new orthopedic examinations to assess the current severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's right ear disability, characterized as minimal scarring and small, superior retraction pocket of the tympanic membrane, is rated at non-compensable. The Board denied an increased rating for this condition due to lack of compensable basis under Diagnostic Code 6200.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and initial ratings have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals.,Service connection has been granted for residuals of left arm burn scar.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating greater than 10 percent for his left thigh scar and TDIU prior to December 9, 2016 was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7804 due to the nature of the Veteran's scar.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and painful chest scar have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating under applicable VA regulations.

The Board has dismissed all the issues of service connection for various conditions as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Veteran's appeals for ratings and effective dates have been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for compensable disability ratings for his scar, right foot and scar, lower left ankle. The appeals are dismissed as the criteria for a compensable rating were not met.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are as likely as not of such nature and severity as to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU on an extraschedular basis from March 1, 2011, until February 23, 2020, and a TDIU granted from February 24, 2020, onward.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations on multiple conditions are being remanded due to the implementation of the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act (AMA). The VA is required to adjudicate these issues under the AMA system.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for low back and left knee scars have been dismissed due to their death.