Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2017

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a). However, his bilateral shoulder and knee disabilities may warrant extraschedular consideration due to their impact on employment.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinea pedis do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder, including residual scarring from cellulitis, has been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's psoriasis and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran meets the criteria for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, including schizophrenia and PTSD. The decision is in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he requested to withdraw his appeals for the issues of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for tension headaches prior to September 27, 2012; and entitlement to service connection for non-specific dermatitis, claimed as a skin rash; hypertension; insomnia, claimed as sleep deprivation disorder; left ankle osteoarthritis; right ankle osteoarthritis; and erectile dysfunction. The appeal of the issue of an effective date prior than August 20, 2003 for the grant of entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is also dismissed.

The Veteran's CAD, following coronary bypass surgery, has been rated at 60 percent since September 25, 2010. The evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 19, 2006, for the award of service connection for mycosis fungoides. The May 1994 rating decision denying service connection for chloracne as a result of Agent Orange exposure is final and not subject to CUE review.

The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board found that the Veteran's skin disorder, diagnosed as actinic keratosis and seborrheic keratosis, did not manifest within a year of his last exposure to herbicide agents during service. The preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the Veteran's current skin condition is related to active military service or due to in-service herbicide exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and an increased rating for right shoulder impingement syndrome, but denied the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and recurrent folliculitis of the occipital scalp.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation prior to March 12, 2014 and in excess of 10 percent thereafter for pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) was denied as the evidence did not show that his skin condition covered more than 5% of his body or exposed areas, nor did it require systemic therapy such as corticosteroids.

The Board found that the Veteran's current folliculitis did not have onset during active service and is not etiologically related to his active service. The criteria for a compensable disability rating for hypertension were also not met.

The Board has granted service connection for a skin disability of the legs, but found insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the Veteran's current skin disabilities of his upper extremities, back, chest, and face and his active duty service. The issue regarding these conditions is remanded.

The appellant withdrew her appeals for the claims of service connection for left knee chondromalacia with a history of left meniscectomy, low back strain and degenerative disc disease as secondary to the left knee disorder, chloracne on the back, shoulders, and lower abdomen, and hearing loss in the left ear.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a right foot injury, tinea pedis of the right and left feet, and sleep apnea was denied. The Board found that there is insufficient evidence to establish these conditions as incurred or aggravated during active duty or Reserve service.,There are no indications in the record that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, other than schizoaffective disorder, do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for eczema has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, which is presumed to have been incurred during the Veteran's service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations. The initial compensable rating and TDIU claims are pending.

The Veteran's skin disorder may be related to his service, including presumed Agent Orange exposure and treatment for poison ivy in 1969. The claim is being remanded for further development.