The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his scalp scars and TDIU due to instability of the scars, which have caused him significant functional impairment.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately address the Veteran's reports of scar instability during the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- dissecting cellulitis of the scalp, painful scars of scalp
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2023
- Citation
- 23001538
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 23001538.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed your appeal as it was erroneously docketed, and the issues of service connection for acne/cellulitis and dissecting cellulitis of the scalp have already been addressed in a previous decision.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for acne keloidalis nuchae, but has remanded the issue of service connection for dissecting cellulitis of the scalp.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for an increased disability rating for scalp scars and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of all issues by the Veteran's counsel.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an incomplete VA examination, specifically regarding whether the Veteran's head scars were unstable throughout the period on appeal. The Veteran reported continuous bleeding and inability to wear hats or anything that put pressure on his scalp.
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