The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error by the AOJ, as there was insufficient evidence of record to adjudicate his claim for a higher disability rating for his skin disabilities. The RO relied on a September 2019 VA examination that only addressed the severity of dermatophytosis and did not evaluate PFB.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the AOJ committed a pre-decisional duty to assist error by failing to afford the Veteran a thorough and contemporaneous medical evaluation for both his PFB and dermatophytosis, which is necessary to determine the current severity of all pertinent disability symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), dermatophytosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2020
- Citation
- A20017265
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 A20017265.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae and a rating in excess of 10 percent for a left ankle disability due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right eye dry eyes, cataracts of the left and right eyes, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, left renal arteriovenous malformation, aneurysm, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, recurrent subluxation of the left knee prior to May 13, 2020, left total knee replacement, disability rating in excess of 60 percent from September 1, 2021, forward for left total knee replacement, DJD of the right knee, right knee instability, burns of the bilateral ankles, linear scar of the left knee, post-surgical tender scars of the left knee, and a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based upon service-connected disabilities prior to June 14, 2019.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent initial rating for asthma, but remanded the claim for service connection of pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB).
- 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.
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