Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence in his service treatment records and a need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection and rating for various conditions, including chest pain, sleep apnea, bilateral knee disorder, upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, right shoulder disorder, acne, facial scars, flatfoot, hypertension, memory loss, bipolar disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including panic disorder with agoraphobia and depressive disorder), and migraines. The remand requires obtaining relevant VA treatment records, conducting additional examinations to determine the etiology of diagnosed conditions, and scheduling a new examination for migraines.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and psoriasis. The Veteran's claims were not supported by evidence of a current disability that began during or was related to his military service.,Service connection for PTSD could not be established due to lack of verified stressors, while the diagnoses of anxiety and depressive disorders did not meet the criteria for PTSD under DSM-5.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasoning in its April 2018 decision regarding the Veteran's tinea cruris, specifically whether his topical antifungal and hydrocortisone treatment constituted systemic therapy.

The Board has determined that there has not been substantial compliance with the previous remand directives and thus, the case is being returned to the RO for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB) as there is no current diagnosis of this condition, and therefore, it cannot be linked to his military service.

The Board has determined that the VA did not fully comply with its previous remand directives and has ordered another remand to ensure all relevant documents are associated, obtain an FCE, and a VRC assessment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment as of February 29, 2020. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his service-connected disabilities alone are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating for onychomycosis and tinea pedis, and denied his claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypothyroidism, status post thyroidectomy for multinodular goiter is granted as related to in-service exposure to ionizing radiation. The effective date of the award of service connection for eczema is set at September 25, 2017, which was within one year of the Veteran's intent to file a claim. Hearing loss and sleep apnea are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since June 28, 2005. TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for seborrheic dermatitis was denied, and the effective date for TDIU was also denied. The Board found that a higher rating for seborrheic dermatitis prior to May 2018 is not warranted, and since May 7, 2018, it is rated at 60 percent. The Veteran's PTSD did not meet the criteria for TDIU before November 5, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied. The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for psoriasis is remanded.

The Veteran's eczema/dermatitis is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has remanded to determine if systemic therapy for bronchitis/allergies can be considered as constant or near-constant systemic therapy for his eczema/dermatitis.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death. The evidence showed no severe cardiac symptoms or episodes prior to death and the autopsy and death certificates indicated pulmonary complications as the immediate cause of death.

The Veteran's claims for tuberculosis, lumbosacral strain, a skin condition affecting the entire body, and PTSD/Depressive Disorder have been granted. The claim for service connection for tuberculosis was reopened due to new evidence showing exposure during service. Service connection is established for lumbosacral strain and a skin disorder affecting the entire body. The Veteran's claims for PTSD and depressive disorder were also reopened.

The Veteran has withdrawn their appeals for service connection on multiple conditions, including enlarged prostate, skin lesions of the hands, bilateral nipple condition, skin lesions of the nose, eczema of the legs, tremors and shaking of the left side of body, hypertension, and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than depression.

The Veteran's psoriasis has been rated at 60% since February 4, 2015. The duodenal ulcer rating remains at 30%. An earlier effective date for the psoriasis is denied.,The Veteran's duodenal ulcer does not meet criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal includes issues for increased ratings for bipolar disorder, bilateral oophorectomy, Hepatitis C, and psoriasis. The Board has determined that these matters are remanded to obtain outstanding private treatment records from Dr. F.S., Dr. K.H., and the Veteran’s private primary care provider.

The Veteran's skin condition, specifically mycosis fungoides (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), is rated at 100% since February 15, 2011. His fatty liver disease has been newly established through reopening of the claim.,Service connection for a liver condition is granted.