Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2004

The Board has granted a 50 percent rating for cystic acne of the face and chest, effective August 2, 1999. The maximum allowable under current criteria.

The veteran's hidradenitis suppurativa with folliculitis is rated at 30 percent, reflecting symptoms analogous to exudation or itching constant and extensive lesions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's generalized skin disorder, now diagnosed as inverse psoriasis, is related to his service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic skin disorder to include chloracne claimed as the result of Agent Orange exposure and compensation under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 (West 1991) for left below the knee amputation residuals, and also denied an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for his post-operative lung cancer.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his skin conditions (tinea cruris and tinea corporis) was denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The decision states that a VA examination was necessary to substantiate the claim, but the veteran failed to appear without good cause.

The veteran's service connection claims for various conditions have been granted, but the assigned disability ratings are not as favorable as requested. The initial compensable ratings were denied in several cases.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for folliculitis due to his failure to report for a VA examination. The case is remanded to obtain medical records of hypertension treatment and to determine whether new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim for service connection for hypertension.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chloracne and degenerative joint disease of multiple joints, including shoulders, hands, and knees. The denial was based on a lack of evidence of these conditions during service or within one year post-service, and no competent evidence linking them to his period of active duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for Hepatitis-C and Neurodermatitis, finding no evidence to support a direct relationship with his military service or herbicide exposure.

The veteran's claims for service connection for muscle tension headaches, herpetic dermatitis, and memory loss were denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including verification of in-service stressors and examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for CFS and tinea veriscolor, finding that new evidence does not warrant reopening of her previous denial. The Board also noted that there is no indication of exposure to any specific agent or basis in the record.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased evaluations and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support granting any of his claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for an allergic reaction and contact dermatitis with a photo component, as well as for a benign multinodular thyroid gland. The Board found that there was no medical link between these conditions and the veteran's periods of active service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including tinea versicolor, right knee disability, residuals of a nerve laceration along the radial aspect of the left index finger, back disability, and chronic headache disability. The RO granted service connection for coronary artery disease, left knee medial meniscal tear, traumatic arthritis of the right acromioclavicular joint, residuals of an arthrotomy of the first metatarsophalangeal joints of each foot with joint debridement for hallux limitus and degenerative joint disease, hemorrhoids, and anal fissure. The RO also denied entitlement to initial compensable disability ratings for these conditions.

The veteran's service-connected tinea versicolor is shown to be productive of a disability picture that more nearly approximates that of exudation and exfoliation with extensive lesions, warranting an initial 30 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the veteran's hearing loss and skin disorder. The veteran is presumed to have experienced noise exposure during service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to ensure all relevant evidence has been obtained and considered.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and assigned an effective date of March 1, 1992. The claim was reopened based on new evidence provided by the appellant.

The veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings on right and left carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as psoriasis with eczema craquelé are being remanded due to inadequate VCAA notification.