The Veteran's skin disorder, claimed as porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT), is being remanded for further development to determine if it manifested within a year of separation from service and whether it is related to herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner needs to review the Veteran's reported symptoms and determine if they are consistent with PCT manifesting within a year of his separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2015
- Citation
- 1553193
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 1553193.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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