The Board has granted service connection for alopecia areata (claimed as hair loss) and found that the veteran's current skin disorder is related to his Persian Gulf War service.
The deciding factor: The VA examination confirmed the presence of a recurrent, reversible patchy hair loss disorder diagnosed as alopecia areata in service. The Board also concluded that the veteran's current skin disorder was likely caused by exposure to environmental hazards during his Persian Gulf War service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hair loss, Skin loss and bumps on the head, Breathing problems, Aching joints, Fatigue, Chest tightness, Left-sided rib pain
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2003
- Citation
- 0319879
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0319879.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for specially adapted housing and remanded the claim for service connection for fatigue (claimed as chronic fatigue syndrome) due to insufficient evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for insomnia, fatigue, gallstones, varicose veins, anemia, colitis, and PTSD due to a lack of evidence supporting the claims.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities, granted a 20% rating for each, and denied an increased rating for degenerative disc disease of the spine. The Board also denied increased ratings for generalized anxiety disorder and service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder, bruxism, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, and sleep disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for hypertension is dismissed as the claim has been fully granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, back disability, fatigue, and acquired psychiatric disability are remanded for further development.
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