The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal includes all initial ratings assigned for residual scarring from skin cancer under Diagnostic Codes 7800 through 7805, and therefore a new examination is needed to address these issues.
The deciding factor: The previous examinations are inadequate as they do not include width measurements for some scars and did not complete the 'historical question' portion of the DBQ due to the Veteran's date of claim preceding August 12, 2018. The most favorable set of criteria must be applied based on both the 2008 Regulations and the 2018 Regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Scars of the head, face, and neck, Scars not of the head, face, or neck, Unstable or painful scars, Other scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2021
- Citation
- 21006802
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 21006802.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection of TBI, post-traumatic headaches, scars, and dizziness as secondary to TBI.,The appellant's disabilities were granted service connection as secondary to his TBI. The Board found no prior claims or communications that could serve as the basis for an earlier effective date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 50 percent rating for residual scars of the head, face, or neck and a 30 percent rating for unstable or painful scars. The appeal was denied for a higher rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for painful scarring of the anterior trunk and left lower extremity associated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery was denied. The scars were rated at 10 percent, but not more due to lack of instability or pain in additional scars.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for other scars from his coronary artery bypass graft surgery was also denied.
- 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.
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