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.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim for left shoulder scars was inferred based on the evidence of record due to his ongoing pursuit of TDIU, which resulted in the identification and rating of the scars as a separate condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder scars
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- March 25, 2026
- Citation
- A26026800
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 A26026800.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae and denied a compensable rating for left shoulder scars, while remanding the claims for left hip and right hip disabilities.
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