Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2000

The Board has granted a 10% rating for the veteran's service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae and found that his chronic right eye disability is service connected.

The veteran's skin condition was found to be noncompensably disabling, while his right knee disorder with osteoarthritis has been rated at 10% effective from January 29, 2000.

The veteran's service-connected Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has not recurred or spread, and he is considered cured. The Board denied an increased rating for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for acne in 1985 and 1987. The veteran's reopened claim was received on May 4, 2000, which is the effective date of the grant of service connection.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and mixed personality disorder (mental depression), but denied his claim for pseudofolliculitis barbae. The decision is considered 'mixed' as some issues were granted while others were not.

The Board has granted an increased evaluation of 30 percent for the appellant's tinea pedis disability, effective from January 1999. The right ear dermatitis and eczematoid condition is rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder and bilateral pes planus, but granted service connection for plantar fasciitis of the left foot. The decision did not address foot and ankle disorders as a whole.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for psoriasis, finding that there is no evidence linking the condition to his military service.

The veteran's service connection claims for COPD, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Chloracne secondary to exposure to Agent Orange are denied. The claim for an increased evaluation of PTSD is granted with a rating of 50 percent. The claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for chondromalacia of the right patella is also granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication due to issues regarding service connection for PTSD, as well as evaluations for tinea cruris, tinea versicolor, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and hemorrhoids. The veteran's claim is not about exposure to specific environmental factors.

The veteran's tinea unguium and tinea pedis of the feet were incurred during his service in Vietnam, and the Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's service-connected right knee injury with post-traumatic arthritis and seborrheic dermatitis of the face and scalp, both rated at 10 percent.

The veteran's initial evaluations for eczema, peptic ulcer disease with hiatal hernia, postoperative residuals of meniscectomy of the right knee, and residuals of an injury to the left knee were all granted. The evaluation for residual of an injury to the right shoulder was also granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the issue of a higher rating for the veteran's dermatitis with nervous disorder can be decided. This includes obtaining medical records, conducting further examinations, and determining if separate evaluations are appropriate.

The veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than January 1, 1996, for pension benefits is dismissed as moot due to the grant of a 100 percent schedular rating for his service-connected paranoid schizophrenia. The issue of service connection for psoriasis remains pending.