The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic skin disability, including as secondary to herbicide exposure, due to lack of evidence linking his current condition to his military service.
The deciding factor: There was no current skin disorder found during the VA examination and the examiner noted that the etiology of the claimed rash had not been 'figured out.'
- Claimed conditions
- chronic dermatitis, dry skin
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20068005
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for chronic dermatitis, as the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's dry eye syndrome is granted service connection due to an in-service injury. Several other claims for service connection are remanded.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the September 2024 denial of service connection for a right knee disability and a right shoulder disability is dismissed as these claims are now moot due to subsequent grants of service connection. The initial rating for temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) was denied, while an initial rating of 10 percent for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased initial rating for a skin disability, including chronic dermatitis, tinea pedis, xerosis and hyperkeratosis, to obtain additional medical evidence regarding systemic therapy and the degree of involvement of nonservice-connected disabilities.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.