Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2000

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for facial acne and for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for hiatal hernia, gallstones, and hepatitis B. The veteran's claim for facial acne was not well-grounded due to lack of evidence linking it to service or Agent Orange exposure. For hiatal hernia, gallstones, and hepatitis B, the Board found no more than a 10 percent evaluation warranted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for psoriasis and Berger's disease, as well as his claim for a higher disability rating for PTSD. The reasons were that there was no competent medical evidence showing these conditions were related to Agent Orange exposure or any other in-service event.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for tinea pedis and folliculitis, asthma, memory loss and sleep disturbance, painful joints, and infection secondary to shots are not well grounded. The claim for asthma is considered well-grounded.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder involving the back and dermatitis involving the feet, face and thighs due to exposure to Agent Orange or as being secondary to service-connected psychiatric disability is not well grounded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a skin condition due to Agent Orange exposure and for increased evaluations of his multiple nevi on the chest and seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp. The claim for an earlier effective date for the right foot disability was dismissed as untimely filed.

The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for pseudofolliculitis barbae, effective from June 1, 1999. The attorney fee amounting to 20 percent of past-due benefits was awarded from May 6, 1999 to August 4, 1999.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for an olfactory neuroblastoma and a skin disorder (folliculitis) as residuals of exposure to Agent Orange are not well grounded.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and did not address the earlier effective date or annual clothing allowance claims.

The veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic skin disorder and epistaxis were denied as they are not well grounded. The evidence does not support the presence of these conditions in service or due to any incident during service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder was denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking his current skin disorders to his active military service.

The Board dismissed the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of her husband's death and an earlier effective date for a TDIU, finding that she abandoned her appeal by not responding to VA requests for information.

The Board found that the veteran's injuries in a March 1948 automobile accident were incurred in the line of duty. However, service connection for various conditions including nervous disorder, tinea versicolor, bilateral leg disability, skin disorder secondary to Agent Orange exposure, sinus disorder, and arthritis was denied as there is no competent evidence associating these conditions with his active military service.

The Board has determined that the February 1, 1996 rating decision denying service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae constituted clear and unmistakable error due to failure to properly apply the presumption of aggravation.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of Agent Orange exposure and chloracne, finding that there was no current diagnosis of a skin disorder or chloracne.

The Board has granted a 30% evaluation for hemorrhoids with impairment of sphincter control, and has not addressed the tinea pedis issue due to lack of appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not file an adequate substantive appeal for all issues listed, and thus lacks jurisdiction to consider these claims.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected seborrheic dermatitis and scarring was granted, with a rating of 30 percent effective July 18, 1997.

The veteran's service-connected dyshidrotic eczema of both feet is characterized by constant objective symptomatology varying from large blisters, to smaller papules or nodules, to scaling or crusted areas with evidence of past outbreaks in the form of discoloration. The Board has determined that a rating of 30 percent for this condition meets the schedular criteria.

The Board has granted service connection for asthma and PTSD, finding that these conditions are related to active service. Service connection was denied for a skin disability as a residual of Agent Orange exposure.

The veteran's brain tumor in postoperative status is service-connected, and his tinea pedis was also incurred during active service. The other claims for service connection are not well-grounded.