The Board denied the veteran's claim for a higher rating for left shoulder scars because the scars do not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's left shoulder scars do not cover an area of at least 144 square inches and are not painful or unstable.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- January 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25002332
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25002332.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for left shoulder scars was granted with an effective date of April 16, 2024. The Board found that the earlier effective date is not warranted as the Veteran did not have a scar disability until his TDIU claim in April 2024.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues for further review, including service connection claims and rating determinations. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is denied as there is no evidence of current bilateral hearing disability meeting VA criteria. His left shoulder scars and left flank scar ratings remain noncompensable due to lack of compensating factors such as pain or instability. Hyperuricemia is not rated higher than noncompensable under the applicable diagnostic codes, and hypertension remains noncompensable.
- Dismissed
The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for an increased disability rating for service-connected left shoulder scars, and the Board dismissed the appeal as a result.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it is related to his in-service acoustic trauma. Service connection for left shoulder scars, generalized anxiety disorder with ADHD, and migraine headaches were also granted.
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