The Board has remanded both issues for further development. The Veteran's abdominal surgery residuals and acne scarring of the head, neck, and face need to be evaluated again with consideration given to any flare-ups.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to obtain all relevant medical records and conduct a thorough examination to determine if there are new diagnoses or changes in severity due to potential flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- post-operative residuals of abdominal surgery, residuals of acne scarring of the head, neck, and face
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2023
- Citation
- 23003316
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 23003316.
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 the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left elbow disorder, post-operative residuals of abdominal surgery, and an increased rating for head acne scarring. The Board found that there was no evidence to support these claims.,The Veteran's left elbow disorder is not related to his time in-service, as evidenced by pre-existing conditions noted prior to his entry into service. His post-operative residuals of abdominal surgery are already covered under a separate rating for the painful scar. The acne scarring has resolved and does not meet the criteria for an increased rating.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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