Scars Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and special monthly compensation based on need for regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran is found to be so helpless as to need regular aid and attendance, warranting special monthly compensation.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increased disability rating and TDIU related to the status post pilonidal cyst scar.

The Veteran's appeal of the increased rating for bilateral tinnitus is dismissed. The claim for service connection for OSA and residuals of a TBI are reopened, but the request to reopen claims for PTSD, hiatal hernia and esophageal ulcer, and abdominal scar are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected right peroneal palsy with foot drop did not contribute to his death, which was caused by a motorcycle accident.,The Veteran’s total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) lasted for approximately 5 years before he died.

The Board has remanded the DIC claim due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether service-connected conditions contributed to the Veteran's cause of death and if so, which ones. The appellant asserts that TBI, PTSD, prostate cancer, and scalp scars may have aggravated hypertensive cardiomyopathy.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examination.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection and rating for various conditions, including chest pain, sleep apnea, bilateral knee disorder, upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, right shoulder disorder, acne, facial scars, flatfoot, hypertension, memory loss, bipolar disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including panic disorder with agoraphobia and depressive disorder), and migraines. The remand requires obtaining relevant VA treatment records, conducting additional examinations to determine the etiology of diagnosed conditions, and scheduling a new examination for migraines.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and anal fissures with scarring, effective from January 31, 2017. The claim for hypertension was remanded.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU prior to April 4, 2018 due to service-connected disabilities that rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the VA did not fully comply with its previous remand directives and has ordered another remand to ensure all relevant documents are associated, obtain an FCE, and a VRC assessment.

The Veteran withdrew all of the issues on appeal, including those related to service connection for various disabilities. The Board has no further jurisdiction in these matters.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and benefits were denied. The right lower extremity below the knee amputation is rated at 40 percent, which is the maximum available under Diagnostic Code 5165.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for his stump scar was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's head scar above the left eye. A new VA examination is needed to determine if it was caused by or incurred during service.

The Board has granted service connection for a painful chest wall scar, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran's claims are based on direct evidence of in-service incurrence.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another person (SMC-AA) or at the housebound rate is remanded due to inadequate medical evidence in the record.

Entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for fractured distal radius of the right wrist with traumatic arthritis and scar was denied. The Veteran is currently rated at 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 5215.,For left ear hearing loss prior to July 25, 2019, an initial compensable disability rating was denied. Since July 25, 2019, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as Level I in both ears.,Both issues were denied due to lack of evidence supporting higher ratings.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability rating for central centrigual scarring alopecia and service connection for a left knee disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including sinusitis, obstructive sleep apnea, GERD, hiatal hernia, gastritis, and bilateral breast fibrocystic condition, have rendered her unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since February 13, 2012. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these disabilities.

The Board has remanded the issue of TDIU prior to October 5, 2011 due to insufficient evidence and will refer it for consideration by the Director of Compensation Service.

The Veteran's request for a higher rating for painful scarring of the right foot, status-post tibial sesamoidectomy was denied. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 7804. Service connection requests for other conditions were also denied.