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

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was denied as there is no evidence that he was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment solely because of his service-connected disabilities prior to September 27, 2011.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling an examination. The issues of entitlement to higher ratings for anxiety disorder and acne vulgaris are also being addressed.

The Veteran's chloracne, a disease associated with herbicide exposure, is found to have manifested within one year of his last exposure to Agent Orange during service. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current skin rash on his left foot is not related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for dermatitis/eczema and right shoulder disability are being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records.

The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of jungle rot or tinea pedis on his feet, and the evidence does not establish that these conditions were incurred during service. The VA treatment records indicate that he has tinea pedis now but do not link it to his active duty service.

The Veteran's skin disability due to neurodermatitis with pseudofolliculitis barbae has been evaluated at a 30 percent rating since November 7, 2006. The evidence does not support an increase in the evaluation.

The Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae is rated at 30 percent, effective October 19, 2010.

The Board finds that the Veteran's acne disability existed prior to his service and was not aggravated by service, thus denying service connection for acne.

The Veteran's service-connected acne, which was previously rated at 10 percent, is now rated at 30 percent effective May 9, 2009.

The Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae was shown in service and continues to the present day, meeting the criteria for service connection. The Board finds that his back injury and left shoulder disability are related to service, while a right hip scar is not considered service-connected.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current skin disability of the groin or scrotum, left hand fungus, or stomach fungus related to service. The claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae has been rated as non-compensable due to the intermittent nature of the condition and its minimal impact on his facial skin.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not effectively preclude her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increases in the staged ratings assigned for tinea versicolor, lumbosacral strain, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's seborrheic dermatitis is related to his service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeals of the claims of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, hypertension, and diabetes, and the claim of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for pseudofolliculitis barbae have been dismissed. The appeal of the claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss disability is also dismissed.

The Veteran meets the criteria for a compensable rating based on multiple non-service connected disabilities, as his service-connected conditions clearly interfere with normal employability. The issue of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for folliculitis is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for callosities of both feet is being remanded due to the need for a new examination. Additionally, service connection claims for various foot conditions are also being remanded.

The Veteran's skin disability, specifically seborrheic dermatitis, was rated as noncompensable prior to March 14, 2015. After that date, the rating was increased to 60 percent effective December 12, 2014.