The Veteran's claim for a scar on the right cheek was reopened and granted. The Board found that the Veteran incurred a scar on his right cheek during service, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran. Service connection is also granted for left arm pain and weakness, but denied for a left shoulder disability.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that new evidence supported reopening the claim for a scar on the right cheek due to consistent statements from the Veteran and his buddies corroborating the injury during service. For the left arm pain and weakness, the Board found no medical evidence linking it to service. The denial of a left shoulder disability was based on lack of contemporaneous medical records indicating any such condition.
- Claimed conditions
- scar, right cheek, left shoulder disability, left arm pain and weakness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20034292
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 20034292.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board has denied service connection for residuals of gallbladder removal and remanded the other claims due to insufficient evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that remand is needed for the Veteran's claims due to duty to assist errors, including clarification of periods of service and obtaining relevant records. The Veteran will be afforded new medical examinations for each claimed disability.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to a procedural defect in filing the claims on the correct form.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, anxiety disorder, back disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, and right knee disability. The claim for service connection for residuals of a concussion is remanded.
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