The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for a scar on the lower lip and right shoulder strain, as well as his requests for initial ratings in excess of 30 percent for PTSD and 10 percent for dermatitis. The evidence did not support these claims.
The deciding factor: The medical records were entirely negative for any indication of a lip laceration or injury to the lower lip during service, and there was no credible evidence supporting the veteran's claim that he sustained such an injury in combat.
- Claimed conditions
- scar on the lower lip, right shoulder strain
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2004
- Citation
- 0412807
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0412807.
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder strain as there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service or within one year after discharge, and the medical opinion found that his current condition is not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether the Veteran's right shoulder strain warrants a compensable disability rating, and if so, what that rating should be.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right and left shoulder disabilities, finding that they are related to his active duty service.
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