Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 60 percent disability rating for seborrheic dermatitis, based on CUE in a prior final rating decision, is being remanded due to inadequate notice of the applicable laws and regulations.

The appeals for service connection for eczema, increased ratings for limitation of right knee and semilunar impairment, and earlier effective dates for assignment of the right knee ratings are dismissed. Service connection is granted for Parkinson's disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, and bipolar disorder.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary due to the unavailability of service treatment records and the need for further verification of in-service stressors related to PTSD.

The Board has remanded several claims, including those for service connection and rating evaluations. The issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the previously denied claims of bilateral hearing loss, gastric cancer, arrhythmia, high cholesterol, liver cancer, chloracne, and a psychiatric disorder (depression) are being addressed again.

Service connection for dermatitis, left cubital tunnel syndrome, right hip disability, left hip disability, right shoulder disability, bilateral thumb disability, right first toe disability, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, left varicocele, and testicle atrophy has been denied.,The Veteran's service connection claims for obstructive sleep apnea, nephrolithiasis with hematuria, right knee iliotibial band syndrome and patellofemoral pain syndrome, allergic rhinitis, right plantar fasciitis, hyperhidrosis, hemorrhoids, and generalized headaches have been remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of his tinea and left knee disability, as well as potential aggravation by service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for residuals of ruptured right ear drum, bilateral hearing loss (BHL), and tinnitus are remanded due to the need for additional medical examination. The skin disorder claim is also remanded as it involves herbicide exposure.,A VA examination will be conducted to determine if any current BHL, tinnitus, or residuals of ruptured right ear drum are related to service, including noise exposure during combat. A separate examination will assess the nature and etiology of the Veteran's skin disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for eosinophilia and acne, which were dismissed as a result.

The Board has denied service connection for tinea pedis and migraine headaches, but has remanded the issues of service connection for great right toe disability, great left toe disability, residuals of a right foot fracture, and chest injury. The claim to reopen previously denied asthma is also remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is rated at 0 percent, eczema of the hands is rated at 0 percent, and PTSD is rated at 70 percent effective April 2, 2013. The Veteran does not have a service connection theory related to exposure basis or the PACT Act.

The Veteran's skin disorder (dermatitis and eczema) is granted service connection as secondary to her newly service-connected residuals of hysterectomy. The Veteran's total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy are also granted service connection as secondary to her service-connected breast cancer.

The Veteran's bilateral trochanteric pain syndrome (hip condition) has been granted service connection due to its undiagnosed nature. The left knee chondromalacia patellae and sinusitis have not met the criteria for a higher rating, while anal fissures and tinea corporis with tinea capital have received appropriate ratings.

The Veteran's multiple service-connected conditions, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine and hypertension, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's psoriasis is currently rated at 60 percent, the maximum available under the rating schedule. The Board found that a higher rating cannot be awarded as there are no other applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU on a schedular basis prior to March 15, 2010 was denied. The case is remanded for referral to the VA Director of Compensation Service for consideration of whether the Veteran should be granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and TDIU related to his service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and scheduling an examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right foot tinea pedis and left foot tinea pedis are remanded. The claim for an initial compensable rating for headaches is also remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability other than dermatitis, finding that his current diagnoses of actinic keratosis and non-melanoma skin cancers are not related to in-service exposure or injury.

The Veteran's use of calcipotriene for his service-connected psoriasis caused irreparable damage to both his shirts and pants, leading to the grant of annual clothing allowances for these items in 2014.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of January 22, 2008 for the grant of a TDIU rating due to service-connected PTSD. The Veteran's PTSD prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment since that date.