The Veteran's initial compensable ratings for pilonidal sinus removal scar and left small finger scar are being remanded due to potential worsening of the conditions since his last examination in June 2018. The VA must obtain any outstanding treatment records and schedule the Veteran for an appropriate examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported that both scars were painful, with the pilonidal sinus removal scar becoming excoriated if exposed to moisture, and the left small finger scar often cracking open and bleeding and associated with keloids. The June 2018 examination was inadequate as it did not physically examine the pilonidal sinus removal scar.
- Claimed conditions
- pilonidal sinus removal scar, left small finger scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23064335
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 23064335.
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 Board granted a single initial 20 percent rating for the Veteran's painful and unstable pilonidal sinus removal scar and left small finger scar, effective from June 14, 2017, but denied an initial rating higher than 20 percent.
- 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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