The Veteran's facial sebaceous cysts have been granted increased ratings of 50 percent prior to December 23, 2015 and from April 19, 2017. The Veteran was denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for the period between December 23, 2015 and April 18, 2017, and a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to April 19, 2017 for painful scarring due to sebaceous cysts. The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date was remanded.,The Board found that the Veteran’s facial sebaceous cysts have manifested with characteristics of disfigurement such as surface contour depressed on palpation and scars at least one-quarter inch (0.6 cm) wide at widest part, and scars adherent to underlying tissue, resulting in a 50 percent rating for the period prior to December 23, 2015.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's facial sebaceous cysts have manifested with characteristics of disfigurement such as surface contour depressed on palpation and scars at least one-quarter inch (0.6 cm) wide at widest part, and scars adherent to underlying tissue.
- Claimed conditions
- sebaceous cysts, painful scarring due to sebaceous cysts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19187024
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19187024.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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 service connection for skin disorders, including basal and squamous cell carcinomas, sebaceous cysts, and pityriasis rosea, as there is no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service or herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sebaceous cysts, finding no evidence of a relationship to service or any other compensable period.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability was reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The case is remanded for additional development, including obtaining non-VA treatment records and an adequate VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of his skin disabilities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The VA has remanded the case due to incomplete treatment records and the need for a new examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's acne vulgaris with sebaceous cysts.
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