Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2002

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, tinea cruris, and testicular cancer due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Diabetes mellitus is presumed based on the veteran's service in Vietnam. Tinea cruris is found to be aggravated by the veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus. Testicular cancer is considered to have been caused by the veteran's exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for various conditions, finding that there was no competent medical evidence linking the claimed conditions to his active duty service.

The October 1991 rating decision denied the appellant's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, as the evidence did not show he was unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and a skin disorder, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for Dercum's disease, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not etiologically related to the service-connected acne vulgaris.

The Board denied service connection for skin keratosis and tinea pedis, COPD, arteriosclerotic vascular disease and residuals of stroke, a back disorder, and an affective disorder all claimed as due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board found no valid claims of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the March 1, 1990 rating actions granting service connection for acne keloiditis of the neck and scalp and a 10 percent rating for shell fragment wound scar on the right upper back.

The Board has determined that the veteran's neurodermatitis warrants a 50 percent rating, reflecting the severity of his condition as described by the medical evidence and testimony.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a left wrist fracture, skin rash, low back condition, sleep disorder, lung condition with shortness of breath, and rheumatoid arthritis. The veteran's claims were based on direct evidence rather than any presumption or secondary relationship to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chloracne, tinnitus, prostate cancer, and a psychosis. The claim for increased rating for degenerative changes of the fifth distal interphangeal joint of the right hand was also denied. The RO reduced the veteran's previously assigned 10% evaluation for pseudofolliculitis barbae condition but did not restore it.

The veteran's claims for headaches, skin disorder, circulatory disorder, and low back disorder were all denied. The veteran was granted a 10% evaluation for his headaches.

The veteran's service-connected disability does not materially contribute to his impairment of ability to prepare for, obtain, or retain employment consistent with his abilities, aptitudes, and interests. Therefore, he is not eligible for vocational rehabilitation training and self-employment assistance.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder due to herbicide exposure, as well as his claim for an increased rating for shell fragment wound scars and his requests for earlier effective dates for service connection for PTSD and tinnitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than April 13, 1999 for a 100% rating for PTSD based on an initial award and denied his claims for increased ratings for bilateral pes planus with calluses and hammertoes and tinea pedis.

The Board found that the veteran's chloracne, which was previously diagnosed as sebaceous cysts and later changed to chloracne, is manifested by constant exudation, itching, and disfiguring scars without evidence of ulceration, extensive exfoliation or crusting. The disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The veteran's service-connected folliculitis is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board denied service connection for tinea versicolor and granted a 30 percent disability rating for hiatal hernia effective August 2, 2000. The veteran's symptoms of hiatal hernia were not well documented until the August 2000 VA examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for dermatitis herpetiformis, finding that new and material evidence has not been presented. The claims file did not contain evidence linking any current dermatitis herpetiformis to the veteran's active service.

The Board finds that the veteran's acne vulgaris, hypertension, headaches, and back disorder are all service-connected as they were diagnosed during or shortly after his active duty.

The Board denied an increased rating for non-specific dermatitis of the hands, finding that the condition did not meet criteria for a higher rating based on extensive lesions without ulceration or systemic manifestations.