Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2006

The Board found that the veteran's arthritis was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and denied his claim for increased rating of psoriasis. The veteran's arthritis is currently rated at 30 percent.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an additional medical opinion regarding the veteran's skin disability, which may be related to service. The claim for service connection will be reconsidered based on this new information.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, acne vulgaris, sebaceous cyst, and follicular infundibular cyst due to exposure to herbicide agents. The Board found that there was no independent evidence confirming any stressors or exposures during service.

The Board has found the evidence sufficient to establish that the veteran currently suffers from residuals of chloracne, which is a disease associated with exposure to herbicides. As the veteran served in Vietnam and was exposed to herbicides during service, his claim for service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board finds that the veteran's disability picture is not consistent with the criteria for a higher rating, and his appeal for increased ratings for bilateral pes planus and tinea pedis and onychomycosis of both feet is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a diagnosed PTSD due to service, and his hypertension and skin conditions are not shown to be related to service. The appeal is denied for all issues.

The veteran withdrew his appeal before the Board could make a decision.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus and a skin disorder, including psoriasis and seborrhea. The veteran's claim was based on direct evidence rather than presumptive exposure to herbicides.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis and denied service connection for folliculitis, to include as due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings, hearing loss, and service connection for various conditions. The appeals were not successful.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, PTSD, a skin disorder (claimed as pseudofolliculitis barbae), and hypertension. The claim for residuals of a right ankle fracture was also denied. The veteran's claims for reopening his anxiety reaction and diabetes mellitus were not granted.

The veteran's tinea pedis has been granted a 10 percent rating. His claims for left knee and bilateral ankle disabilities have been reopened.

The veteran's skin rash with trunk depigmentation is rated at 30 percent, and his total disability rating based on individual unemployability is denied due to the presence of other service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for submaxillary salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma and skin rash secondary to Agent Orange, as well as his PTSD and hypertension. The cancer of the larynx claim was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the veteran's service-connected skin condition contributed to his death. The appellant must provide additional medical opinions and VA will review the claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board found no evidence of a current skin disorder related to service, and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for psoriasis and skin tumors, finding that new evidence supports a reopening of the claim. The issues are still pending as to whether these conditions are secondary to an in-service electrical shock injury or his service-connected right below-the-knee amputation due to underlying peripheral vascular disease.

The veteran's claims for headaches, hepatitis C, and hypertension were denied. The claim for tinea versicolor was granted with a compensable rating of 30%. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for post operative bilateral inguinal hernia was denied. The issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for dermatophytosis after August 30, 2002 is also denied.