The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected dermatitis was denied as the condition does not cover at least 20 percent of the entire body or exposed areas affected, and does not require systemic therapy such as corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs during the past 12-month period.,The Veteran's hypertension is remanded for an addendum opinion to determine if it is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by his active duty service, including herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s dermatitis does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under DCs 7802 and 7806.,There was no evidence of hypertension during service, and the January 2020 examiner opined that the Veteran's obesity is most likely the cause of his advanced degenerative joint disease in the left knee.
- Claimed conditions
- Dermatitis (claimed as jungle rot body, bilateral feet and legs), Hypertension, Degenerative arthritis of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 2, 2021
- Citation
- 21011636
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 21011636.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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