The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of June 26, 2012 for a 30 percent rating for scars as a result of residuals of cicatricial alopecia. The claim was not reviewed on VA initiative within one year of the August 2002 liberalizing law that changed the rating criteria for scars.
The deciding factor: The effective date is fixed in accordance with the facts found but shall not be earlier than the effective date of the act or administrative issue (August 30, 2002). The claim was filed more than one year after the effective date of the liberalizing law and no review on VA initiative within one year of the effective date occurred.
- Claimed conditions
- Cicatricial alopecia, Scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19186510
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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