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

The Board denied service connection for variously diagnosed skin disorders, finding no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current skin conditions and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disability involving the hands, groin, thighs, and shins as there was no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology during service or after discharge.

The appellant's claims of entitlement to service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae, a low back disorder, and an increased rating for his left shoulder, left ankle, and right ankle disorders are being remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed disabilities, including as due to undiagnosed illness resulting from service in the Southwest Asia theater during the Gulf War.

The Veteran's seborrheic dermatitis was rated at 30 percent, and the Board found no basis for a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a skin disorder (claimed as chloracne), and moles on the back. The Veteran was also denied a compensable disability rating for varicose veins of the left leg.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for neurodermatitis of the groin, as the evidence did not show ulceration or extensive exfoliation or crusting, with systemic or nervous manifestations, or exceptional repugnance.

The appeal is remanded for further development, including scheduling of VA examinations to address the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities and their relationship to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial compensable evaluation for eczema, residuals of stress fracture, right femoral neck and pubic ramus, scar residuals of cholecystectomy, service connection for sinusitis, and service connection for a right labial inclusion cyst.

The case is remanded for a detailed VA dermatology examination to assess the current severity of the veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for pseudofolliculitis barbae, on an extra-schedular basis pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 3.321(b)(1), from August 30, 2002.

The Board found that the appellant's foot disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and arthritis may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date was denied as the November 1980 rating decision, which proposed to reduce his disability rating from 10 percent to 0 percent, became final and could not be used to establish a new date of claim.

The Board denied the claim for an initial, compensable rating for eczema and remanded the claim for a higher initial rating in excess of 60 percent for nephritic syndrome with hypertension.

The Board denied service connection for chloracne, finding no credible evidence of its presence in service or a link to service.

The Veteran is granted service connection for dyshidrotic eczema of the bilateral feet, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for heart disorder, kidney stones, defective vision, chronic obstipation, and arthritis of multiple joints were denied. The Veteran was granted a 50% evaluation for major depression from November 17, 2004.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disease of the lower extremities, to include dermatophytosis and neurodermatitis, as there was no competent evidence of a nexus between a current skin disease of the lower extremities and any incident of or finding recorded during service.

The Veteran's service-connected skin disabilities (psuedofolliculitis barbae and acne keloidalis nuchae) were combined to enable a higher, 30 percent, rating. Sleep apnea was found to be incurred in service, while the other claims for weight gain and left knee disability were denied.

The Board granted the request to reopen the claim for service connection for a skin disorder as due to Agent Orange exposure, but remanded the expanded claim on the merits for further development.