Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current skin disability, diagnosed as dermatitis and chronic skin lesions, is related to his active service. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae has required the near constant use of systemic therapy in the form of oral antibiotics, warranting a disability rating of 60 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's skin condition claim for an addendum opinion to determine if his sebaceous cysts are related to service, including herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is being remanded due to the Board finding that it was not properly addressed in previous decisions. The case will be returned for further evaluation and consideration of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of back disorder, Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB), cold injury residuals of the right hand, left hand, right foot and left foot are related to his active service. The claim for an ankle disorder is not reopened.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's in-service clinical findings and/or presumed Agent Orange exposure, and his currently diagnosed skin disabilities. Therefore, service connection for a skin disability was denied.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for further development and consideration, including the retrieval of relevant documents such as service treatment records, SSA records, VA examination reports, and hearing transcripts. The claims will be readjudicated after these steps.

The Veteran's appeals for higher initial ratings were granted. He was awarded service connection for right knee disabilities, anosmia, and left foot tinea pedis (athlete's foot). Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left knee was denied.

The Veteran's hypertension is not service-connected, and his fungal infection of the left hand (tinea versicolor) is already covered by a current service connection. The Board denied both claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such severity as to effectively preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment for which the Veteran's education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify him, thus granting TDIU.

The Veteran's skin disorders, including tinea versicolor, dermatophytosis, dermatitis, stucco keratosis, and basal cell carcinoma left temple, are being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding their relationship to service, particularly herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's seborrheic dermatitis and tension headaches have been rated as noncompensable throughout the appeal period. The Board finds that the criteria for a compensable rating are not met.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claims of service connection for psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and rashes claimed as chloracne.

The Veteran's hypertension with associated chest pain and eczema with hyperpigmentation of the forehead, and pseudofolliculitis barbae are not rated higher than 20 percent and 30 percent respectively.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining a secondary service connection opinion for sleep apnea and issuing a statement of the case regarding his claims.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder and assigned a noncompensable rating for his service-connected tinea pedis. The other issues on appeal remain unresolved.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinea pedis are found to be related to service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's skin disability, specifically pseudofolliculitis barbae and eczema, is found to be related to service. The Board grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae does not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating. The RO is directed to obtain his treatment records from Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center.

The Veteran's skin disabilities, including chloracne and eczema, are being remanded for a more thorough examination to determine if they are related to his service in Vietnam, specifically exposure to herbicides.