Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2016

The Board has reopened the claim and finds that there is sufficient evidence to support a finding of service connection for bilateral tinea pedis and onychomycosis, with all reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae is currently rated at 30 percent, and the low back disability is found to be secondary to service-connected bilateral knee disabilities. Both issues have been granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chloracne, lipomas, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, and headaches are being remanded due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's skin disorders, diagnosed as chronic eczema and dermatitis, had their onset in service and the Board grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating or service connection based on exposure to chemicals and/or environmental hazards in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and assigned a 10 percent disability rating. The Veteran's tinea pedis is rated at the noncompensable level as it does not meet the criteria for any higher rating based on body or exposed area affected.

The Veteran's PFB and dry skin disability do not meet the criteria for a higher rating as they have not covered more than 40% of his entire body or exposed areas, nor has he required constant systemic therapy such as corticosteroids during the past year.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including erectile dysfunction secondary to a psychiatric disability and tinea pedis, have been granted. The initial rating assigned is 30 percent for dyssomnia.

The Board finds that the Veteran's son, D.T., is not entitled to recognition as a helpless child of the Veteran due to his permanent incapacity for self-support prior to attaining age 18. The evidence does not establish that D.T.'s ADHD and other conditions render him permanently incapable of self-support.

The Board finds that the Veteran's psoriasis vulgaris does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's schedular guidelines, as it affects less than 5% of his entire body and exposed areas, and is treated with topical therapy.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to initial compensable ratings for bilateral tinea pedis of the toes and tinea manuum of the left hand due to insufficient evidence in the record, including a lack of updated VA treatment records and an examination report.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chloracne, finding no evidence of the condition at the time of filing or during this appeal. The Veteran served in Vietnam and chloracne is a disease subject to presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure.

The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against service connection for a skin condition of the feet, as there is no probative evidence associating the Veteran's tinea pedis with any incident of service. The Veteran's May 1971 Report of Medical Examination at separation noted a normal clinical evaluation of the feet and skin.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have been evaluated and rated appropriately based on the criteria provided in the Rating Schedule.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and a skin condition were reopened, but the Board found new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims. The Veteran's IBS was granted an initial rating of 30% prior to February 10, 2014, and in excess of 50% from that date.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 70 percent, which meets the criteria for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities. However, the evidence does not support a finding that he is unemployable due to these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current skin disorder, diagnosed as seborrheic dermatitis, was not incurred in or otherwise the result of his active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected psoriasis and obtaining any outstanding medical records.

The Veteran's corns on the toes are currently rated at 30 percent, effective December 21, 2009. The initial compensable rating for seborrheic dermatitis was granted in October 2007 with a 30 percent rating effective December 21, 2009. Corns on the toes are rated at 20 percent since March 4, 2015.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for skin cancer and chloracne, both of which are presumed to be due to herbicide exposure in service. The Veteran is now entitled to service connection for these conditions.