Scars Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing records and incomplete treatment information.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and maintaining all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeals have been withdrawn, and the claims are dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn. The Board does not have jurisdiction to consider the increased rating claim for hypertension with headaches as the Veteran withdrew his appeal in November 2015.

The RO reduced the disability rating for prostate cancer from 100 percent to 40 percent, effective December 1, 2012. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities include a residual shrapnel wound to the scalp with scar and substernal chest and right upper thigh scars.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and residual neck scar have been granted. The hypertension claim is pending as the evidence is in equipoise.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing. The issues of increased ratings and service connection are not addressed as this matter has been returned to the AOJ.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his right clavicle disability was granted, but the issue regarding service connection for thyroid cancer was denied.

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

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the initial ratings for bipolar disorder with PTSD, left ear hearing loss, and residual scar of the left jaw.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the July 1992 rating decision that assigned a noncompensable rating for right eye corneal scarring, as the evidence then of record supported the RO's interpretation.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, gastrointestinal disorder, chronic headaches, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, left hip disorder, and left hip scar have been granted.,Service connection has also been established for erectile dysfunction as secondary to the cervical spine disability.

The Veteran is seeking compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for complications following his October 2010 surgery at a VA facility, including limited motion of the right arm and hand, and infection of the surgical scar on his wrist. The Board finds that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate these claims.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn for the issues of entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disability and entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for a burn scar of the right forearm. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of current hearing loss.

The Veteran's left inguinal hernia repair scar is currently rated as noncompensable due to its lack of functional impairment and not meeting the criteria for a compensable rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU based on their combined rating and individual disability ratings. The VA examiner found that his foot disabilities prevent him from engaging in physical employment, but he is still capable of sedentary work.

The Board found that the Veteran's lung disability, including COPD and emphysema, was not incurred in or aggravated during service. The examiner concluded there is no data in the service treatment records to support a finding of chronicity.

The Veteran's initial claims for higher ratings for scar, status-post thyroidectomy, and hypoparathyroidism, status-post thyroidectomy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 20 percent for the scar or higher than 60 percent for the hypoparathyroidism.,The Veteran's scars do not meet the criteria for disfigurement and are rated under Diagnostic Code 7805. The hypoparathyroidism does not result in marked neuromuscular excitability, laryngeal stridor, or cataract.