Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of May 13, 2009 for the grant of service connection for unspecified bipolar disorder is granted. The appeal regarding the earlier effective date for pseudofolliculitis barbae is dismissed as it was a freestanding claim and not part of the main appeal.

The Board has remanded multiple cases related to increased ratings and effective dates for various conditions, including a right foot heel fracture, an acquired psychiatric disorder, dermatitis with scarring, degenerative arthritis of the knees, tinnitus, distal phalanx fractures, scars from the knee and thumb, and bilateral hearing loss. The appeals also include requests for earlier effective dates for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's skin disability of the feet and lower extremities. The Veteran is requested to undergo a VA examination or opinion to determine if his current skin disorder had its onset during service or is related to his period of active service.

The Board denied service connection for a back condition and remanded the claims of increased rating for generalized anxiety with major depressive disorder, service connection for hyperhidrosis, acne, bilateral hip condition, and carpal tunnel syndrome or neuralgia/paresthesias of the bilateral arms.,Further investigation is needed to determine if there are any current diagnoses related to these conditions.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for PTSD and found that the Veteran's claim was not received within one year of the April 11, 2018, liberalizing VA administrative issue. The Board also denied presumptive service connection for IBS as a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness (MUCMI). Service connection for tinea pedis was granted.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to ensure compliance with the duty to assist, as required by law. The Veteran's claim for service connection for psoriasis will be returned to VA for further development.

The Board has decided that the reduction from 10 percent to a noncompensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae effective December 7, 2021 was improper and remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Board denied service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae and its scar residuals, finding no current disability or in-service injury/disease relevant to such disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae and tinnitus, finding no current disability or link to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for chloracne, finding that there is no current diagnosis of this condition and thus not meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The rating reduction from 10 to 0 percent for service-connected onychomycosis, tinea pedis (athlete's foot) was improper. The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating and service connection for eczema are remanded due to procedural errors.

The Board has dismissed all claims related to service connection and increased disability ratings, including those for PTSD, right shoulder strain, right ankle tendinosis, facial scarring due to PFB, eczema, bilateral hearing loss, chronic left wrist disability, left ankle sprain, and bilateral eye conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability, including chloracne, due to in-service exposure to an herbicide agent. The Board found that there is no medical evidence linking the current skin disability to active service or any incident of service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions and missing records. The Veteran's skin condition (other than tinea pedis) is being reviewed again with additional evidence and a new opinion.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and pseudofolliculitis barbae as there is no persuasive evidence that these conditions began during or are otherwise related to the Veteran's military service.

Your claim for service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae has been granted, and you have received a noncompensable rating effective November 10, 2016. As the full benefit sought on appeal has been awarded, your current claim is dismissed.

The Board has restored the Veteran's 10 percent rating for his service-connected seborrheic dermatitis, follicular cysts, and pseudofolliculitis barbae due to an inadequate VA examination used to justify the reduction.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including back pain, skin conditions, knee issues, and hypertension, were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support the Veteran's assertions of in-service injury or aggravation.,Specifically, the Board determined that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of dermatitis or eczema, and his claimed back condition, right knee conditions, left knee conditions, hypertension, lumbar radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and lumbar radiculopathy of the right lower extremity were not caused by service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as secondary to his service-connected hearing loss. The initial compensable disability ratings for right ear hearing loss, PFB, and tinea pedis are denied.