The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that his scars did not meet criteria for higher ratings and that there was insufficient evidence to establish a secondary service connection for a heart disorder.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and medical records provided no evidence of more than three characteristics of disfigurement or significant functional impairment in the veteran's scars. The Board also found insufficient evidence to support a secondary service connection for a heart disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Right cheek scar, Chin scar, Right shoulder scar, Residuals of a right forearm shell fragment wound (including a scar and ulnar nerve impairment), Left leg gunshot wound
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2006
- Citation
- 0604701
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (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 0604701.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic sinusitis, fibromyalgia, dermatosis of the feet, irritable bowel syndrome, and traumatic brain injury. The appeal was denied for increased ratings for PTSD, tremors of the hands, functional digestive disorder, asthma, rhinitis, and chin scar.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for cervical spine, right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder arthritis, left and right shoulder instability, and a right shoulder scar disabilities but granted restoration of the 20 percent rating for right shoulder instability.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and major depressive disorder, but denied service connection for left leg arthritis, right leg arthritis, sleep apnea, a head scar, and a chin scar.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted a 60 percent rating for the right shoulder disorder and denied a compensable rating for the right shoulder scar. The neck disorder was remanded for further development.
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