Citation Nr: 21073526 Decision Date: 12/08/21 Archive Date: 12/08/21 DOCKET NO. 15-20 725 DATE: December 8, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Air Force from February 1991 to February 1998. He is the recipient of the Air Force Achievement Medal. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a May 2011 rating decision by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The May 2011 rating decision: granted initial service connection for PFB at 0 percent effective December 6, 2010; granted service connection for tinnitus effective December 6, 2010; denied service connection for psychosis/mental illness for purpose of establishing eligibility for treatment; denied service connection for bilateral pes planus; denied service connection for right knee osteoarthritis; denied service connection for left knee condition; denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss; and denied service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Veteran submitted an informal Notice of Disagreement (NOD) in August 2011. The RO issued a May 2015 rating decision granting service connection for bilateral pes planus and plantar fascitis at 30 percent effective December 6, 2010. The RO also issued a May 2015 statement of the case (SOC) denying an increased rating for PFB, an increased rating for tinnitus, service connection for right knee osteoarthritis, service connection for a left knee condition, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for PTSD. The Veteran subsequently submitted a VA Form 9 in June 2015 appealing only the issue of increased rating for PFB. As such, entitlement to service connection for PFB is the only matter before the Board. The Board remanded this issue in a June 2018, in pursuit of updated VA treatment records and a new VA examination. The Veteran did not attend his May 2019 VA examination and the RO continued its denial in a June 2019 supplemental statement of the case (SSOC). The Board again remanded this issue in August 2021, because new VA treatment records had been attached to the record that had not been reviewed by the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ), and the Veteran had not waived his right to allow the Board to review the evidence in the first instance. The RO continued its denial of a compensable rating for PFB in an August 2021 SSOC and the issue has returned to the Board for appellate consideration. 1. Entitlement to an initial compensable rating for PFB. Although the Board regrets additional delay, further development is necessary to properly adjudicate the claim. The Veteran was last afforded a VA examination in February 2011. In his October 2021 Appellate Brief, the Veteran, through his representative, asserted that his condition has worsened. As a result, a new VA examination is needed to ascertain the current severity of the Veteran's PFB. The Board finds a remand is warranted because the Veteran has reasserted his condition has worsened after missing his examination. However, the Veteran is reminded that the duty to assist is a two-way street, therefore, he is obligated to cooperate with the VA to assist in evaluating the nature and current severity of his symptomology. See Wood v. Derwinksi, 1 Vet. App. 190, 193 (1991). This matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the current severity and manifestations of his PFB. The examiner must review the claims file and must note that review in the report. All indicated tests should be conducted. K.A. KENNERLY Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board Lee Feldman, Associate Counsel The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.