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

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the issue of a higher rating for the veteran's dermatitis with nervous disorder can be decided. This includes obtaining medical records, conducting further examinations, and determining if separate evaluations are appropriate.

The Board has granted a higher initial rating of 70% for the veteran's service-connected PTSD, effective June 1, 1994. The claim for secondary service connection for alcohol and drug abuse is also granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development of evidence, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling examinations to determine the current state of the veteran's glaucoma and neurodermatitis disseminata.

The veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than January 1, 1996, for pension benefits is dismissed as moot due to the grant of a 100 percent schedular rating for his service-connected paranoid schizophrenia. The issue of service connection for psoriasis remains pending.

The veteran's service-connected disability of bilateral onychomycosis with tinea pedis and tinea corporis does not materially contribute to his employment handicap, as he has chosen not to pursue other types of employment. The RO denied the application for vocational rehabilitation training and self-employment assistance.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for a skin condition claimed as chloracne due to Agent Orange exposure.

The veteran's PTSD warrants a rating of 100 percent.,An effective date prior to March 25, 1992 for the 30 percent rating for chloracne is not warranted.,There is no clear and unmistakable error in the December 1971 rating decision regarding sebaceous cysts.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected skin disorder (seborrheic dermatitis) is denied due to failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's systolic heart murmur and did not reopen his claim of service connection for a skin disorder (claimed as chloracne).

The veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and herniated disc at L5-S1 is currently rated as 20 percent disabling, but the Board has determined that a higher 40 percent rating is warranted based on more severe symptoms. The pseudofolliculitis barbae of the face and neck is currently rated as noncompensably disabling.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 12, 1997 for the award of service connection for PTSD was granted. The RO also assigned compensable initial disability evaluations for jungle rot of the feet and pseudofolliculitis barbae.

The Board dismissed the appeals due to a lack of timely and adequate substantive appeal for both issues.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left eye disability and tinea pedis were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, but chronic tinea pedis of both feet was incurred during service.

The Board has granted increased ratings for the veteran's service-connected gout and hiatal hernia, but denied an increase in rating for seborrheic dermatitis. The veteran is currently rated at 20% for his gout and 10% for his hiatal hernia.

The veteran's acne vulgaris and left shoulder scar are both rated, but the left shoulder scar is granted a separate rating. The acne vulgaris remains at a 10% rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for chloracne, finding that there was no competent medical evidence showing the presence of this condition.

The veteran's appeal for increased ratings for headaches and a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability was denied. The veteran is currently employed full-time, and there is no evidence of unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted an increased rating for bilateral pes planus with hallux valgus and bunions, but denied service connection for a scar of the left foot as a residual of an injury, tinea pedis claimed as secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus with hallux valgus and bunions, hemorrhoids, and sinusitis and perennial sinorhinitis.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for a skin rash due to an undiagnosed illness and for hiatal hernia. The appellant was found not to have objective indications of chronic disability resulting from an undiagnosed illness.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected osteoarthritis of the dorsal spine, dermatitis with a history of yaws, right wrist osteoarthritis, and left ankle sprain with osteoarthritis. The highest schedular rating available under the applicable criteria was assigned.