Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's current skin condition, psoriasiform dermatitis, is not related to any service-connected or service-incurred conditions and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's neurodermatitis did not start during service and is not attributable to any injury or disease in service, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The medical evidence does not support a finding of service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claim for service connection for various symptoms, including skin rashes, viral warts, sores and lumps on the head with folliculitis, jaundice of the eyes, gingivitis, muscle contraction headaches and vascular headaches, joint and muscle pain, back pain, atypical noncardiac chest pain, frequent urination, recurrent diarrhea, hair loss, depressive disorder, fatigue, blurred vision, allergic rhinitis with sinusitis, sensitivity to chemical sprays, stress, and memory loss, is being remanded for further development.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 30 percent for the veteran's service-connected skin disorder (tinea with onychomycosis), which is currently rated at 10 percent. The condition involves fungal infections primarily affecting the feet and toenails, hands and fingernails, and occasionally the groin area.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for peripheral neuropathy and dermatitis with herpes simplex, as secondary to herbicide exposure. The veteran's contentions were found insufficient to establish a link between his current conditions and service or herbicide exposure.

The veteran's accrued benefits for a period of two years based on his service-connected disability, rated at 80 percent disabling, are granted.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder, including chloracne, secondary to Agent Orange exposure was denied. The evidence did not support the presence of such a condition.

The veteran's service-connected eczematous dermatitis of the palms and feet is rated at 30 percent, effective March 12, 1997.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations were denied. Lung disorders, including emphysema, are not related to service or tobacco use. Psoriasis and knee disabilities do not meet the criteria for increased ratings.

The veteran's skin disability, previously rated as zero percent disabling due to dermatitis herpetiformis, is now rated at 10 percent based on occasional exacerbations causing itching and involvement of an extensive area including the trunk and legs.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence. The appeals were limited to reopening existing claims, not resolving the merits of the service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for intermittent diplopia due to orbital fracture of the left eye and tinea. The veteran's diplopia is considered correctable, while his tinea involves an exposed surface and extensive area but does not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinea pedis, bilateral defective hearing, and plantar corns of both feet were denied by the RO. The case is now remanded to schedule VA examinations and consider the claim under both the former and revised applicable schedular criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for GBS and tinea versicolor, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for tinea pedis with secondary onychomycosis, finding that her condition did not manifest during active duty and is not otherwise related to military service.

The veteran's depression is granted service connection, but his tinea pedis and frostbite claims are denied.

The Board found that the veteran did not submit a timely substantive appeal regarding service connection for rhinitis, hypertension, pes planus, hearing loss and tinea cruris as well as entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for dissecting cellulitis of the scalp. The reduction from 30 percent to 0 percent in the rating for right eye blindness was improper.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than December 6, 1995 for a 50 percent disability rating for cystic acne as there was no evidence showing the status of his service-connected condition within one year prior to that date.

The Board has granted service connection for psoriatic arthritis of the lumbar spine, hands, and feet. The veteran's skin disability is rated at 30 percent disabling, while his joint disabilities are rated as follows: 40 percent for psoriatic arthritis of the lumbar spine, 10 percent each for psoriatic arthritis of the right hand, left hand, right foot, and left foot. He also has a separate rating of 10 percent for postoperative neuralgia of the ilioinguinal nerve with chronic groin pain. The combined rating is 80 percent. The veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain and maintain any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and industrial background, thus meeting the criteria for a total disability rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.