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

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected psoriasis/seborrheic dermatitis with multiple joint arthralgia and chronic lumbosacral strain with low back pain.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding both issues, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disorder and assigned an initial compensable evaluation of 10 percent for tinea pedis, versicolor, and tinnitus. The veteran's conditions are found to be related to his military service.

The veteran's neurodermatitis of various body areas, including hands and left knee, is productive of impairment compatible with ulceration or extensive exfoliation or crusting, and systemic or nervous manifestations. The VA has granted a 50% evaluation for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD and service connection for chloracne due to Agent Orange exposure. The decision found that there was no evidence of current diagnosis or etiology for chloracne, and thus the claim was not well-grounded.

The veteran's combined non-service-connected disability rating is 60%, which does not meet the requirement for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes.

The Board found that the veteran's eligibility for flight training benefits under Chapter 31 was not established, as all costs and expenses of actual flight training were not approved by VA VR&C.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at the University of South Alabama Medical Center on August 4, 1997, as it does not meet the legal criteria required to establish entitlement under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1728(a).

The veteran's psoriasis is currently rated at 50 percent, the highest schedular evaluation available.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee strain, hypertension, and tinea manus are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a comprehensive VA examination.

The veteran's service-connected psoriasis is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that this rating is appropriate based on the current manifestations of his condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right and left knee disabilities, as well as a compensable evaluation for his bilateral tinea infection. The claim to reopen his heart disorder was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus, right shoulder impingement syndrome, and increased ratings for benign prostatic hypertrophy and tinea cruris. The effective date is not specified as the decision was made in March 1998.

The veteran's trigeminal neuralgia is rated at 10 percent, and the increased evaluation for stasis dermatitis of both legs has been granted.,Stasis dermatitis of the right leg was rated at 40 percent effective January 12, 1998. Stasis dermatitis of the left leg remains at 30 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for sebaceous hyperplasia and folliculitis, as well as tinnitus. The evidence did not establish a nexus between these conditions and his period of active service.

The Board denied service connection for numbness of the extremities and chloracne, both claimed as due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The veteran's current conditions were not found to be related to his military service or presumed exposure.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his bilateral skin disability of the feet and has also denied his claim for special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance of another person. The evidence did not meet the criteria for needing regular aid and attendance due to the veteran's various disabilities, including his psychiatric symptoms.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and an undiagnosed illness, finding no current evidence of a hearing loss disability. The claim for an undiagnosed illness was not well-grounded due to lack of medical evidence showing signs or symptoms of such an illness.

The veteran's application for RH insurance was denied because it was not received within one year of the last notice of service connection for disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's psoriasis, currently rated at 30 percent, does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it does not show ulceration or extensive exfoliation and crusting. The condition is characterized by constant itching over multiple areas of his body.