Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for headaches, dizziness, anxiety, high cholesterol, and a cervical spine disability. The claim for hypertension was not reopened as new and material evidence was not received.

The Board finds that the Veteran's psoriasis is related to his military service and grants service connection for psoriasis.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied service connection for tinnitus and a bilateral foot condition. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to service exposure, but his tinnitus and foot conditions are not.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to allow for a VA examination and the issuance of a statement of the case (SOC) on his skin disability claims.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for pseudofolliculitis barbae was denied as the disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and her tinea versicolor of the face and thorax is currently rated at 10 percent. Both conditions do not meet criteria for higher ratings under current rating criteria.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder and eczema on the right hand are being remanded due to a need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae originated during service and is therefore granted. The issue of bilateral eye disability will be remanded for further examination.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective July 6, 2000 based on his service-connected hidradenitis suppurative with acne vulgaris with scars and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinea pedis warrants a 60 percent rating since the date of filing of his claim, based on near-constant systemic therapy for the disability during the past 12 months.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for headaches and pseudofolliculitis barbae were denied. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim for service connection for athlete's foot was also addressed, with the claim being reopened. However, the Board found that there is no evidence showing that a skin condition of the hands and feet, including dyshidrotic eczema and athlete's foot, was incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for epididymitis, condyloma acuminata, onychomycosis with tinea pedis, and status-post varicocele have all been granted. The Veteran is now receiving a noncompensable rating for his onychomycosis with tinea pedis, but he has received compensable ratings (10%) for epididymitis, condyloma acuminata, and status-post varicocele.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and addressing the TDIU claim. The chloracne rating and service connection for a bilateral foot disorder will also be addressed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chloracne and PTSD, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability or a link to service.

The Veteran's tinea pedis covered less than five percent of his entire body and did not require systemic therapy, resulting in a noncompensable evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and consideration of updated rating criteria.

The Veteran's skin disorder, including EDP and superficial mixed cell dermatitis, is found to have been incurred during his active service in Iraq. The Board finds the continuity of symptoms from service discharge to the present sufficient for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right great toe disorder and tinea pedis of both feet with dystrophic nail were not incurred in or aggravated by his active service. The Veteran was denied service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for his service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities and tinea unguium with tinea pedis and onychomycosis were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of more than the currently assigned ratings.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities were not continuously rated totally disabling for at least five years from the date of his separation from service, and he did not meet the requirement of being a former prisoner of war who died after September 30, 1999. Therefore, DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 were denied.