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Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that new evidence did not warrant reopening a claim of alcoholism and APC addiction. The rating for scars was denied as there was no evidence of more than slight or moderate disfigurement. The deviated nasal septum was rated at 10% due to complete obstruction on one side.

The deciding factor: The veteran's claims were not supported by new and material evidence, and the current disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

Claimed conditions
scar beneath the lower right lip and on the chin, scar in the right corner of the mouth, deviation of nasal septum to the right
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
June 3, 2004
Citation
0414180

Veterans Law Judge

MARJORIE A. AUER

Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 0414180.

What this means for you

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