The Veteran's request to reopen service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae was granted. Effective March 1, 2012.,Claims for effective dates earlier than March 1, 2012 for left ankle sprain and status post right inguinal hernia repair with residual scar were denied as there was no CUE in the prior decisions.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for a left eye scar remains pending.
The deciding factor: New evidence since the last final decision established current disability and triggered VA’s duty to assist by providing an examination, thus reopening the service connection claim for pseudofolliculitis barbae.,The RO found no CUE in the prior decisions regarding effective dates. The Veteran did not submit a valid Notice of Disagreement (NOD) within one year of the rating decision and was notified accordingly.,VA treatment records were reviewed, but no pertinent scar findings were provided. The Veteran underwent a VA examination which noted a left scar on the left lateral superior eyelid.
- Claimed conditions
- pseudofolliculitis barbae, left eye scar, left ankle sprain, status post right inguinal hernia repair with residual scar
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109371
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (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 19109371.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities require regular aid and attendance, resulting in the grant of special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance. The issue of entitlement to special monthly compensation at the housebound rate is moot.
- Denied
The Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae is denied as there is no legal authority to assign an earlier effective date, and the RO has already assigned the earliest possible effective date for the award of service connection.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right and left ankle disabilities are related to repetitive parachute jumps during service, granting service connection for these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae is rated at a 10 percent disability rating, the minimum allowed under VA regulations. The condition involves less than 20% of exposed areas but does not meet criteria for higher ratings.
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