Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's asthma, hypertension (secondary to PTSD), and skin condition are being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new examination of his right leg skin condition.

The Board denied service connection for a lower back cyst and granted an initial evaluation of 10 percent for acne vulgaris. The Veteran's lower back cyst claim was not supported by evidence showing it existed in service or is related to service, while her acne vulgaris meets the criteria for a 30 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence and a need for further investigation by medical professionals.

The Board found that the Veteran's skin disorder, other than tinea cruris, is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection. For pension purposes, the Veteran was deemed unemployable due to multiple nonservice-connected disabilities but continued employment as a letter carrier.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chloracne, which he claims is due to herbicide exposure during his military service from October 1966 to September 2008, has been remanded for further development. The case will be returned to the RO after additional records are obtained and a VA examination is conducted.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a skin disease to include a skin rash, but denied both the new and material evidence claim as well as the initial rating claim for recurrent venereal warts with scarring and urethral dysfunction.

The VA determined that the Veteran's acne vulgaris does not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as it did not manifest deep inflamed nodules or pus-filled cysts affecting more than 40 percent of his face and neck. The Veteran was denied an increased rating.

The Veteran's claims for tinea versicolor, a skin disease (presumed secondary to Agent Orange exposure), and residuals of malaria are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, a skin disability (chloracne), Peyronie's disease, colon-rectal polyps, and throat polyps. The denial is based on the presumption of exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for depression as secondary to his service-connected disabilities is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for essential hypertension was denied. His claim for increased evaluation of bilateral tinea pedis was not granted, and his claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for major depressive disorder (claimed as post-traumatic stress disorder) was granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a service-connected disability for presbyopia and denied his claim. The issue of an increased rating for tinea pedis and dyshidrotic eczema is remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected left thumb fracture residuals. The Veteran's residuals of a left thumb fracture do not meet the criteria for an initial compensable evaluation. The Veteran's tinea cruris does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent, and his tinea pedis with intradermal reaction of the hands does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 30 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of atopic dermatitis, finding that the earliest allowable effective date is February 7, 2003.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding the impact of his service-connected disabilities, including hearing loss, on his employability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have Bell's palsy or mononucleosis, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chloracne or other acneform disease consistent with chloracne was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show a diagnosis of such condition within one year after presumed herbicide exposure in Vietnam, and thus could not be granted on a presumptive basis. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected esophageal spasms or GERD is also denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for eczematous dermatitis, to include as secondary to herbicide exposure. The evidence received since the January 1986 decisional letter does not relate to a new or material fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA medical treatment records, particularly those from September 2002 to September 2004.