The Veteran's folliculitis decalvans and related conditions are being remanded for further evaluation, including consideration of painful scars under DC 7804 and the appropriateness of separate ratings under DC 7800 and DC 7806.
The deciding factor: The VA examination found that the Veteran's condition was not treated with any oral or topical medications in the past year, but he submitted private treatment records showing prescriptions for antibiotics and a corticosteroid. The rating criteria for DC 7806 are based on the type of treatment and its duration.
- Claimed conditions
- folliculitis decalvans, scarring of the head and neck, dermatitis or eczema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19131657
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (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 19131657.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for GERD was granted, but no earlier effective dates were granted for the other service connection claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a skin disorder, including acne, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), and folliculitis decalvans. The VA examiner will be asked to provide an opinion regarding whether the preexisting conditions were aggravated by service or are related to service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for dermatitis or eczema, frequent indigestion and heartburn, and left shoulder disability due to new and relevant evidence submitted after the initial decisions.
- Denied
The Veteran's skin disorder, folliculitis decalvans and alopecia of the scalp, was rated at 30 percent disabling from October 8, 2014. The Board denied a higher rating as the condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7800.
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