The Board finds that service connection is granted for porphyria cutanea tarda due to presumed exposure to Agent Orange during service. The claim for dermatitis, which is not presumptively associated with Agent Orange exposure, remains in equipoise and thus cannot be granted on a direct basis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current diagnosis of porphyria cutanea tarda is presumed based on his Vietnam-era service and Agent Orange exposure. The Board finds the evidence to be in relative equipoise regarding whether the dermatitis began during service, warranting consideration under direct service connection criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Porphyria cutanea tarda, Dermatitis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 14, 2017
- Citation
- 1732929
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 1732929.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted an initial 70 percent evaluation, effective September 23, 2024. The Veteran's dermatitis remains at a 10 percent evaluation.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD was granted an initial evaluation of 50 percent, dermatitis as of December 4, 2024 was granted a 10 percent evaluation, and kidney stones were denied. Service connection for allergic rhinitis and bilateral lower extremity neuropathy were also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis from August 12, 2020, to December 18, 2020 is denied. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for dermatitis and obstructive sleep apnea due to toxic exposure risk activities during service.
- Denied
The Board denied all increased rating claims for various conditions, including allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, and dermatitis. The Veteran's service connection claims were also denied.
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