The Veteran's claim for service connection for scars of the head, face, or neck has been remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the prior rating decision. The Board will consider new evidence from Tricare records and seek an opinion on the etiology of his scars.
The deciding factor: There was a failure to obtain a nexus opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service and his diagnosed scars, which is required for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- scars of the head, face, or neck
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2023
- Citation
- A23027826
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 A23027826.
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.
- Partly granted
The veteran's service connection for trunk and right underarm scars, and left lower leg scar is granted with an effective date of March 31, 2020. Other claims, including those for head, face, or neck scars, and higher ratings for various conditions, are denied.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on all issues listed, as the Veteran withdrew her appeal prior to a decision being made.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for scars on the head, face, or neck and headaches due to inadequate examination in determining their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's scars of the head, face, or neck are rated at 30 percent. A separate rating of 10 percent for painful scars is granted. The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is service connected due to exposure to herbicides.
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