The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing due to the Veterans Law Judge who conducted his previous hearing no longer being employed with VA.
The deciding factor: The veteran requested another hearing, and the RO has scheduled a Travel Board hearing as per the request.
- Claimed conditions
- facial scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2005
- Citation
- 0501894
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,242 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0501894.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for the proposed reduction of facial scars, an increased rating for tinnitus, and service connection for migraines have been dismissed due to untimely filings or lack of good cause.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for skin cancer, facial scars, impairment of cranial nerve V and VII, left eye condition with watering and dryness, and left shoulder pain due to a duty-to-assist error in obtaining an adequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between these conditions and service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is granted service connection for melanoma and facial scars as secondary to the removal of his service-connected melanoma. The claims are based on exposure to burn pits under the PACT Act.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has restored an initial rating of 80 percent for service-connected facial scars, effective February 1, 2025. The Veteran's facial scars are rated under the General Rating Formula for the Skin and meet criteria for a maximum 80 percent rating based on six characteristics of disfigurement.
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