Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2011

The Veteran's skin disability, including atopic dermatitis, may have existed prior to service. The VA is remanding the case for a VA examination and opinion regarding whether his current skin disability was aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA audiological evaluation, and considering the new evidence received since the most recent supplemental statement of the case.

Service connection granted for tinnitus, but denied for bilateral hearing loss.,Service connection granted for uterine fibroids with abdominal/pelvic pain with cramps and pressure.

The Veteran's petition to reopen service connection for a low back disorder is remanded. The claims for increased ratings for herpes simplex II and hyperkeratotic folliculitis of the neck are also remanded.

The reduction of the disability evaluation for psoriasis from 50 percent to 30 percent, effective July 1, 2007, was proper based on improvement in symptoms and treatment.

The Board has granted service connection for seborrheic dermatitis and found the reduction of the rating for lumbosacral strain from 40% to 10% was proper.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lichen simplex chronicus, also claimed as chloracne, including as secondary to Agent Orange exposure, is remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his skin condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for venous stasis dermatitis and prostate cancer was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a direct link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board finds that there is clear and unmistakable evidence sufficient to rebut the presumption of soundness in this case, as well as clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's skin condition was not aggravated by service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a skin disorder of the arms, back, and legs is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for psoriasis, as secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder, is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for further development.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his service-connected nummular eczema is being remanded due to the need for further evidentiary development, including obtaining recent treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's service connection claim for Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB) was granted as the condition is considered to be directly related to his active duty service.

The Board denied service connection for a skin rash and bilateral PVD with extensive vascular calcification, finding no evidence of continuity of symptoms after discharge from service or any link to active service. The Veteran's STRs contained complaints and treatment for miliaria and scratch dermatitis but no diagnosis of eczema or seborrhea. Post-service records indicate the first indication of a skin rash was in 2003, approximately 35 years after discharge.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to her failure to appear at a scheduled hearing. The case will be returned for further action.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board found that the submitted evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the underlying claim for service connection for a neck disorder.,The Board also found that the submitted evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the underlying claim for service connection for a low back disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current skin conditions, tinea pedis and onychomycosis of the great toes, are related to service. The Veteran is competent to describe his symptoms in service, which aligns with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of such service.

The Veteran's eczema is rated at 10 percent, the lowest available rating under VA's rating criteria for this condition. The disability does not meet or approximate the next higher schedular rating of 30 percent.

The VA determined that the Veteran's skin disorder other than pruritus ani is not related to his military service, including as due to exposure to herbicides like Agent Orange. The Board found no evidence of a connection between current dermatological conditions and his time in service.