The veteran's claims for increased evaluations and TDIU were denied. The RO found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of the current ratings assigned for his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show visible or palpable tissue loss, gross distortion or asymmetry of one feature or paired set of features, nor two or three of the other eight characteristics of disfigurement for scars of the head and nose. The veteran's right knee prosthesis was found to have chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion or weakness in the affected extremity, ankylosis of the knee, extension limited to 30 degrees, or nonunion of the tibia and fibula with loose motion requiring a brace. The veteran did not meet the criteria for moderately severe injury of the right anterior thigh muscles for residuals of gunshot wound to the right thigh. There were no recurrence or residuals noted for postoperative squamous cell cancer of the left true vocal cord.
- Claimed conditions
- Otitis externa (ear infection), Postoperative squamous cell cancer of the left true vocal cord, Residuals of gunshot wound to the right thigh, Right knee prosthesis, Scars of the head and nose
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2006
- Citation
- 0631441
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,013 · 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 0631441.
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: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim of CUE in a December 1960 rating decision that granted service connection for residuals of a gunshot wound to the right thigh and assigned an initial disability rating of 10 percent. The Veteran argued that he should have been rated higher due to his muscle disabilities, but the Board found no clear and unmistakable error.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee prostheses have been granted a 60 percent rating each, effective January 10, 2011.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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