Skin conditions (dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis) decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that the medical opinions regarding the appellant's Crohn's disease are inadequate and remanded for a new opinion. The issues of service connection for various conditions, including depression, gastroparesis, regional enteritis of small intestine, psoriasis, arthritis, and osteoporosis, are also being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to August 6, 2018 was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of unemployability due to service-connected disabilities alone.

The Veteran's appeals for various conditions and ratings have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of all pending claims and appeals.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and to obtain medical records. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a skin condition, perianal abscess, and bilateral hearing loss are also remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to April 16, 2019. The Court granted a Joint Motion for Remand (JMR) due to unclear application of the reasonable probability standard under Snider v. McDonough. The case is remanded for referral to VA's Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Board denied service connection for liposarcoma of the right thigh, finding no evidence linking it to service or secondary to a service-connected condition. Service connection was also denied for TDIU due to unemployability caused by multiple service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine an appropriate disability rating for the Veteran's facial scars, which are associated with her service-connected urticaria with allergic dermatitis. The current ratings have been granted and will remain in effect until further notice.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for dermatitis has been denied. The Board found that the Veteran's dermatitis affected between 5 to 20 percent of exposed areas and between 20 to 40 percent of the total body area, which does not meet the criteria for higher ratings under either the old or new rating criteria.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a foot injury has been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence showing the onset of the condition in service and it is not etiologically related to service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of March 30, 1998 for service connection for PTSD, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, IBS, and dermatitis. Service connection was not established due to the Veteran's Gulf War exposure but new evidence from VA treatment records allowed for reopening of his claim.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a psychiatric disability is denied, and his claims for a compensable rating for folliculitis barbae and total unemployability are also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability other than eczema is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has denied service connection for a skin condition other than of the feet, including acne vulgaris. Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for skin disability, anxiety disorder, low back disability, right shin splint, left shin splint, and acne. The decision found that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim for skin disability, and dismissed the appeal for anxiety disorder as moot due to concurrent PTSD service connection. Service connection was denied for low back disability, right shin splint, and left shin splint.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lipoma (eczema) has been remanded due to a procedural issue and the need for a statement of the case.