Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date was denied as the November 1980 rating decision, which proposed to reduce his disability rating from 10 percent to 0 percent, became final and could not be used to establish a new date of claim.

The Board denied the claim for an initial, compensable rating for eczema and remanded the claim for a higher initial rating in excess of 60 percent for nephritic syndrome with hypertension.

The Board denied service connection for chloracne, finding no credible evidence of its presence in service or a link to service.

The Veteran is granted service connection for dyshidrotic eczema of the bilateral feet, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for heart disorder, kidney stones, defective vision, chronic obstipation, and arthritis of multiple joints were denied. The Veteran was granted a 50% evaluation for major depression from November 17, 2004.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disease of the lower extremities, to include dermatophytosis and neurodermatitis, as there was no competent evidence of a nexus between a current skin disease of the lower extremities and any incident of or finding recorded during service.

The Veteran's service-connected skin disabilities (psuedofolliculitis barbae and acne keloidalis nuchae) were combined to enable a higher, 30 percent, rating. Sleep apnea was found to be incurred in service, while the other claims for weight gain and left knee disability were denied.

The Board granted the request to reopen the claim for service connection for a skin disorder as due to Agent Orange exposure, but remanded the expanded claim on the merits for further development.

The Veteran was granted a 30 percent rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae, but the claim for an initial rating higher than 10 percent for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic dermatological disorder, including chloracne, secondary to Agent Orange exposure due to lack of evidence linking the condition to his military service.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for tinea pedis, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for skin disease, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to his military service.

The Board granted service connection for chronic dermatitis, finding that the evidence supports a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board remands the claims for a higher initial rating for low back disability, dermatitis, and PTSD to schedule VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chloracne, soft tissue sarcoma, Graves' disease, cervical spine disorder, and PTSD were denied. The ratings for essential hypertension with ocular changes, hypertensive heart disease, peripheral neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, and TDIU were also denied.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right hip disability, varicose veins, tinea pedis, and hallux valgus to ensure that VA fulfills its duties to notify and assist the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for psoriasis as there is no competent medical evidence of a current diagnosis and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any current disability is related to service.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grants of service connection for PTSD and tinea versicolor of the back, as the first communication from the Veteran evidencing intent to file claims was received on May 31, 2005.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at 70 percent disabling, and the effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD remains January 17, 2006.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for additional development of the record, including an attempt to obtain records from the Long Beach VA Medical Center in the early 1970s.