The Veteran was granted a 50 percent rating for neck scars from August 30, 2002, and TDIU from January 1, 1985.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed four characteristics of disfigurement, warranting the next higher 50 percent rating under the applicable criteria. The Veteran was also found to be precluded from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disability starting in 1985.
- Claimed conditions
- Scars, rear and left side of neck
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- October 10, 2024
- Citation
- A24065117
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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-connected disabilities, including PTSD and other conditions, have prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date, a higher rating for COPD, and a compensable rating for scars.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and remanded the remaining issues to obtain additional evidence, including medical records and opinions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, prostate cancer, hypertension, erectile dysfunction as secondary to the service-connected conditions, and incontinence as secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. The decision was based on the Veteran's presumed exposure to herbicide agents during his service near the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
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