The Veteran's residual thyroidectomy scar is rated at a 10 percent rating, effective June 25, 2014. She also receives a separate 30 percent rating for difficulty swallowing as a disabling effect from the service-connected residual thyroidectomy scar.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms of difficulty swallowing are most analogous to moderate stricture of the esophagus, warranting a 30 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 7203.
- Claimed conditions
- residual thyroidectomy scar, difficulty swallowing
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- October 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21064801
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 21064801.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for hypothyroidism and earlier effective dates for the award of service connection for difficulty swallowing and special monthly compensation, but dismissed the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a stroke, difficulty swallowing, vision disability, bilateral foot drop, memory loss, mental confusion, severe headaches, dizziness, slurred speech, and non-toxic thyroid enlargement as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for sleep apnea, onychomycosis, xerosis, and difficulty swallowing to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and remanded several issues related to interstitial lung disease, psychiatric disability, fatigue, vertigo, muscle disability, Raynaud's phenomenon, gastrointestinal disability, difficulty swallowing, headache, skin disability, blurred vision, upper respiratory symptoms, and vertigo as secondary conditions.
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