Scars Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied as there is no evidence of in-service or post-service continuity of symptomatology. The Veteran's TDIU claim prior to June 27, 2012 is also denied as his service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's left foot scars have been rated at 20 percent since September 26, 2008. The Board has determined that a higher rating of 30 percent is warranted due to the presence of one scar that is both painful and unstable.

The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee condition and has determined that new evidence supports this reopening. The Veteran is also entitled to service connection for his right hip condition as secondary to his right knee condition, but not for his right knee scar.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including right foot disorder, left foot disorder, left hand disorder, right wrist disorder, left wrist disorder, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, right hip disorder, left hip disorder, neck disorder, eye disorder, lung disorder, and knee disorders. The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current eye conditions, including bilateral cataracts, right cornea scar, pinguecula, and dermatochalasis, are not related to service and did not have onset therein. The Veteran's decreased visual acuity is due to refractive error of the eyes.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a TDIU.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA benefits were granted effective November 5, 2008. The initial disability rating for diabetic nephropathy was increased to 60 percent in February 2007.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's psychiatric disorder clearly and unmistakably pre-existed service and was not aggravated by service. Service connection for scars on the middle and fourth fingers of the right hand is granted, but without evidence of neurological impairment.

The Board found that the Veteran's miscarriage is not related to service, including any exposure to anthrax vaccine. Service connection for a gynecological disorder manifested by miscarriage was denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the request for withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the August 2017 TDIU Vocational Assessment Report and the need for a new VA examination to address his service-connected disabilities' impact on employment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's pilonidal cystectomy scar is rated at a 10 percent disability level, effective July 19, 1995.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for residuals of a facial injury, to include scarring, is being remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous examination and for obtaining any identified private treatment records.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for PTSD and a right shoulder disability, finding that February 7, 2012 is the earliest date entitlement arose.,The Board also found that February 7, 2012 is the earliest date for which service connection could be granted due to the appellant's original claims being denied in November 1994 and not appealed within one year.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by his authorized representative, resulting in the dismissal of the case.

The Veteran's appeal was denied across multiple issues, including PTSD, cervical spine disability, right and left knee disabilities, thoracolumbar spine disability, tinnitus (hearing loss), right hand 5th metacarpal fracture, right foot heel spur, scars of the hands and knees, dermatitis of the feet, and tension headaches. The appeal was not about service connection for any conditions.