Scars Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's malignant melanoma and his military service, particularly exposure to Agent Orange. The Veteran is requested to provide a medical opinion on whether his current condition may be related to his in-service exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development to address his service-connected PTSD, dysuria, and abdominal scars.

The VA denied a higher initial evaluation for the staphylococcus infection, finding that it has not caused additional symptoms beyond those already considered in other service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder, specifically major depressive disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder, requires the regular aid and attendance of another person as a result of his condition. The Board has granted SMP based on this need.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected back disability and scars, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent, his scars on the lumbar spine are not compensable, and he has a separate rating of 10 percent for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. The Veteran’s degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine remains at 20 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected folliculitis and back scar were found to not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA regulations, resulting in denial of both claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations and service connection, as well as his claim of entitlement to a waiver of recoupment of separation pay. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations and all available VA treatment records must be associated with his claims file.

Service connection for PTSD, left hand laceration scar, and right leg cancer has been granted. Service connection for TBI, right eye laceration scar, and left shoulder disability (impingement syndrome) is remanded.,Service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and right shoulder disability (tendinopathy changes of the supraspinatus) is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected right-hand burn residuals, as well as their impact on his occupational and daily functioning. The claims are not about service connection but rather about rating determinations.

The appeal for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability is remanded. The appeals for rating in excess of 10 percent for a left finger deformity and a painful scar of the left fifth finger are also remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 8, 2010, for the assignment of a 10 percent rating for his left and right foot scars is denied as he is already receiving that rating since the effective date of service connection.

The appeal for service connection for bilateral pseudophakia and macula scar is dismissed. The appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted, but the claims are remanded due to need for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from maintaining substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the claims for residual shell fragment scars of the left leg, nose fracture residuals, left eye dacryocystitis, PTSD, and TDIU rating prior to December 18, 2013 due to incomplete development.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for a scar on the nose is denied. The case is remanded for further evaluation and clarification regarding his heart condition.

The Board has granted a 10 percent disability rating for bilateral chorioretinal scars, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's increased ratings for his right wrist disabilities are remanded due to the need for new examinations to assess current severity.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for a back disorder, separate ratings for agoraphobia, nervousness and depressive disorders, and higher ratings for the right arm and left shoulder scars, painful right arm scar, right wrist and hand arthrofibrosis, and left shoulder disability.