The Board found that the Veteran's Porphyria Cutanea Tarda was not incurred or aggravated during service and is not related to exposure to herbicides in Vietnam. The claim for service connection was denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that PCT was not caused by Agent Orange exposure, citing medical literature and noting the presence of hepatitis C which is known to be associated with PCT.
- Claimed conditions
- Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0931160
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0931160.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT) due to it being a presumptively associated disease with herbicide exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical examination and unclear rating criteria application. The Veteran's skin disability is now rated as Porphyria Cutanea Tarda with dyshidrotic eczema, effective August 22, 2019.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus was denied, and his service connection claim for a skin condition including PCT due to herbicide exposure was remanded. The Board found no evidence of diabetic complications warranting separate ratings or any compensable conditions related to the Veteran's diabetes. For the skin condition claim, the Board noted that there is no record of a diagnosis of PCT and the Veteran’s current skin disabilities are not linked to his in-service herbicide exposure.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability, diagnosed as Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT), is reopened and granted due to herbicide agent exposure. The Board found that the evidence supports the diagnosis of PCT.
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