Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) Board decisions

The Board found no relationship between any in-service skin disorder and the Veteran's post-service development of shingles, concluding that service connection for shingles is not warranted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, joint pain, and skin rashes is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to his military service. The exposure basis is presumed herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's currently-diagnosed psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and left knee patellar chondromalacia. The conditions are linked to his in-service injury and permanent aggravation.

The Board has granted service connection for tinea manuum and onychomycosis of the fingernails. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for dermatitis of the feet is deferred until a new disability rating can be assigned in conjunction with the newly service-connected condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding an earlier effective date for the 30 percent rating for folliculitis of the scalp.

The Board denied service connection for a low back condition, finding no evidence of chronic residuals from any in-service injury or disease. Service connection was also not established for the appellant's tinea versicolor of bilateral feet due to lack of evidence connecting it to his military service.

The Board denied entitlement to increased evaluations for the Veteran's service-connected right wrist disabilities, including interruption of the cutaneous nerve and a scar from ganglion cyst excision. The issues were not related to exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, or other presumptive conditions.

The Board found that a chronic skin disorder was not shown during service and the competent evidence does not establish a chronic skin disorder is etiologically related to in-service disease or injury or otherwise related to active service. The Veteran's skin disorders are presumed unrelated to his military service, including herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his adult-onset diabetes mellitus and dermatitis of the left hand did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.

The Veteran's eczema is reasonably due to an error in judgment in the course of VA care, and he has a current diagnosis of seborrheic dermatitis, diffuse sclerotic eczema including on the chest, back, elbows, knees, and hands, and tinea pedis. The Board finds that his eczema is attributable to a combination of irritants, which includes the VA medication.

The Board has granted service connection for a deviated septum and epistaxis, and reopened the claims of service connection for a skin rash and sleep apnea. The issues of service connection for IBS, flat feet, diverticulitis, and whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for hemorrhoids are addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the failure to provide proper notice for a scheduled hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various disabilities remain on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected eczematous and seborrheic dermatitis.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim for service connection for a right eye disability was granted, and he is now entitled to service connection for this condition.,The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim for service connection for hypertension was granted, and he is now entitled to service connection for this condition based on evidence linking it to Agent Orange exposure or as secondary to other conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran's tinea pedis, claimed as a foot rash, is at least as likely as not incurred in service and grants service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, a respiratory disability (claimed as asthma), residuals of a head injury, vertigo, chronic fatigue syndrome, recurrent dermatitis, and hysterectomy residuals. The reasons provided include lack of evidence supporting these conditions during or after service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including anxiety disorder and COPD, were denied. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety neurosis, as part of the Veteran's already service-connected PTSD. Service connection is also granted for neurodermatitis, as part of the Veteran's already service-connected lichen simplex chronicus.

The Veteran's chloracne, which has been rated at 30 percent since April 20, 2009, continues to meet the criteria for this rating. The condition involves visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of two features or a paired set of features (face and neck).

The Veteran's tinea versicolor has not covered more than 40 percent of his entire body or exposed areas, and does not require systemic therapy such as corticosteroids. Therefore, a rating in excess of 30 percent is denied.