Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability, cervical spine disability, psoriasis, and bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of a continuity of treatment or a medical nexus between his military service and these conditions.

The appeal is remanded to obtain additional evidence and an opinion regarding the Veteran's psoriasis.

The Board denied service connection for allergic dermatitis/cutanea tarda and lymphadenopathy as they were not shown to be related to the Veteran's active duty service, including alleged exposure to herbicides.

The appeal for an increased initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for a migraine headache disorder and right shoulder bursitis was dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal.

The Veteran's service-connected dermatophytosis of the right foot is currently asymptomatic and does not warrant a compensable evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, hypertension, and eczema, as well as service connection for heart palpitations.

The Veteran's folliculitis did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent, as it never involved more than 5 percent of the entire body or exposed areas and did not require systemic therapy with corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs.

The Veteran's psoriasis did not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 10 percent prior to September 30, 2004, and higher than 60 percent thereafter. The facial psoriasis was not compensable.

The appeal must be remanded to afford the Veteran a VA examination as there is insufficient evidence to determine if his psoriasis is related to Agent Orange exposure during service.

The Veteran's acne keloids of the posterior scalp were rated at 30 percent from December 20, 2002, and a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was not established.

The Board reopens the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, a skin disorder characterized as rashes, abnormal growths, and an excised cyst on the tail bone, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and shrinking testicles. It then addresses these claims on their merits.,Service connection is denied for a right chest lump, residuals of exposure to sarin oil and nerve agents, smoke inhalation, radiation exposure, irritable bowel syndrome, and tinea cruris.

The veteran's psoriasis does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent, as it affects less than 40 percent of the entire body or exposed areas and does not require constant or near-constant systemic therapy.

The veteran's tinea, affecting less than 20 percent of the body and not requiring systemic therapy, does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board granted service connection for tinea cruris, finding that the evidence established a current disability and a nexus to service. The claim for COPD was denied as there is no evidence linking it to active service.

The Board denied a compensable initial rating for bilateral tinea pedis and onychomycosis as the evidence did not show that the disability involved at least 5 percent of the entire body, exposed areas affected, or use of intermittent systemic therapy.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is rated at 50 percent, while other conditions remain non-service-connected.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim for service connection for PTSD, but the Veteran does not currently meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and a skin condition were denied as there is no competent evidence of record etiologically linking these conditions to his service or any incident therein.

The Board denied service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome with median neuropathy and seborrheic dermatitis and rosacea as they were not shown to be due to an event or incident during the Veteran's period of active service, nor was there evidence of exposure to herbicides that could have caused these conditions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings on both conditions, thus the Board has no further jurisdiction in these matters.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development and readjudication of the Veteran's claim.