The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to address whether the Veteran's chest scar is related to her active service, specifically a burn from an M16 shell during basic training.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not adequately address the Veteran's lay statements regarding the underlying injury that caused the scar.
- Claimed conditions
- scar, chest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2025
- Citation
- 25006274
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, considering that his service-connected orthopedic disabilities and major depressive disorder contributed substantially to his death.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for initial increased ratings for thoracolumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, bilateral lower extremity femoral radiculopathy, and a scar.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters of an initial compensable rating for hemorrhoid and service connection for a scar, to include as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hemorrhoid disability due to inadequate VA examination and missing medical records.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder and heart condition were dismissed because they were granted benefits. A 10 percent rating was granted for the scar.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.