The Board has remanded the case due to the need for an addendum opinion regarding systemic therapy related to topical corticosteroids used by the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner is needed to determine if the topical treatments affect the body as a whole in treating the Veteran's skin condition and whether they constitute systemic therapy.
- Claimed conditions
- Keloids
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20039224
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 20039224.
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 has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's skin disorders and their relationship to his service, particularly his Gulf War deployment.
- Denied
The Veteran's scalp scars are rated at 30% based on two characteristics of disfigurement, but do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7800.,The Veteran’s painful or unstable scars are currently rated at 30%, as there is no evidence of both instability and pain in any scar. The highest possible evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7804 remains 30%.,Non-linear scars of the chest, back, shoulders, and bilateral thighs/groin do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7802.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD, sleep apnea, keloids, and headaches were not found to be related to service or service-connected conditions. The claims for these disabilities are denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's acne keloiditis and associated scarring are currently rated as 30 percent disabling, which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 7819 for benign skin neoplasms. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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