The Veteran's claim for increased disability ratings for scars of the head, face, and neck is being remanded due to inadequate development. The AOJ must ensure that color photographs are taken by a VA examiner and uploaded to the claims file.
The deciding factor: The AOJ failed to provide the necessary instructions or equipment for taking color photographs of the Veteran's service-connected scars, which was required in previous remands.
- Claimed conditions
- scars of the head, scars of the face, scars of the neck
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 28, 2022
- Citation
- 22055346
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 22055346.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted effective June 2, 2017. The DEA benefits claim for the Veteran's child or surviving spouse is also granted as of June 2, 2017. The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings are dismissed.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and ratings were denied.,The issue of entitlement to a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) prior to April 19, 2019, is moot.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of March 28, 2023 for the award of a 50 percent rating for chronic headaches and a 10 percent rating for scars of the head, but denied ratings in excess of these amounts. The Board also granted service connection for painful scars of the head with an effective date of March 28, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands all service connection claims for further development, specifically to provide the veteran with adequate VA examinations.
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