The Board denied service connection for variously diagnosed skin disorders, finding no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current skin conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical evidence linking the Veteran's skin disorders to herbicide exposure or any other incident during his service. The pre-existing photo-dermatitis of the face did not worsen during service, and the various diagnosed skin conditions first manifested many years after service.
- Claimed conditions
- photo-dermatitis of the face, folliculitis, acne rosacea, contact dermatitis, herpes simplex/zoster, solar elastosis, seborrheic dermatitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 10, 2009
- Citation
- 0908775
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for dermatitis, variously diagnosed as seborrheic dermatitis, dermatophytosis, and tinea versicolor, prior to June 5, 2023, but denied a higher rating from that date. The issues related to Raynaud's syndrome and special monthly compensation were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for further development to ensure compliance with previous remand instructions, specifically regarding obtaining a medical opinion from an appropriate specialist and notifying the Veteran about the unavailability of his separation examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a more contemporaneous examination to assess the current nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected seborrheic dermatitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), and seborrheic dermatitis, as the evidence did not support a current disability or a link to service. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was remanded.
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