The Board finds that the veteran does not have a current skin disorder of the hands, including as a result of exposure to Agent Orange. The veteran's service medical records are devoid of any findings of head trauma inservice and he denied having sustained any head injury at VA examinations.,There is no competent evidence demonstrating the presence of a separate psychiatric disorder manifested by depression.
The deciding factor: The objective medical findings do not support the existence of a current skin disorder of the hands, including as a result of exposure to Agent Orange. The veteran's service medical records are devoid of any findings of head trauma inservice and he denied having sustained any head injury at VA examinations.,There is no competent evidence demonstrating the presence of a separate psychiatric disorder manifested by depression.
- Claimed conditions
- Contact dermatitis of the hands, Depression, Optic atrophy of the right eye
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2004
- Citation
- 0400324
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 271 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0400324.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient findings regarding PTSD and depression, requiring a new VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in the AOJ's handling of the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder, and depression. The AOJ is required to verify the Veteran's claimed stressor and obtain medical opinions regarding the diagnoses and their relation to service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, and Depression as these conditions are found to be related to the Veteran's active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's lay statements and medical records are considered in determining whether there is a nexus between current symptoms and service.
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