Citation Nr: 21015452 Decision Date: 03/17/21 Archive Date: 03/17/21 DOCKET NO. 13-18 585A DATE: March 17, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to an initial compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, to include on the bilateral lower extremities is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from January 1976 to December 1978. This matter is before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a September 2012 rating decision issued by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Veteran testified at a hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge (VLJ) in January 2018. A transcript of the hearing is associated with the electronic claims file. The Board issued two prior remands on this claim in November 2018 and December 2020. 1. Entitlement to an initial compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, to include on the bilateral lower extremities is remanded. In the November 2018 remand, the Board instructed the RO to schedule the Veteran for another VA examination to determine the severity of his pseudofolliculitis barbae and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. In September 2020, this examination was completed and the results of such are part of the Veteran’s current electronic file. While the September 2020 examination report is thorough, the Board notes that this examination focused only on the Veteran’s neck and face. At his January 2018 Board hearing the Veteran testified to peeling and scabbing on his legs. Moreover, the July 2015 VA examination also indicated lower extremity skin irritation and hypopigmentation following a jet fuel spill during service. As the September 2020 examiner did not address what percentage of the Veteran’s entire body, including his bilateral lower extremities, was affected by his pseudofolliculitis barbae and his post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the Board found that another remand was necessary in December 2020. The claim was returned to the Board in February 2021, however no additional documents were added to the Veteran’s electronic claim file. Accordingly, the December 2020 remand directives were not completed, and another remand is now necessary. See Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268, 271 (1998) (holding remand by the Board confers on the claimant the right to compliance with the remand requests). The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Update the electronic file with any new VA treatment records and private treatment records. 2. Schedule the Veteran for another VA examination with the same examiner who completed his September 2020 examination for his service-connected pseudofolliculitis barbae and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (if this examiner is unavailable, provide the Veteran with another appropriate examiner). Have the examiner answer the following question: (a.) What percentage of the Veteran’s entire body, including his bilateral lower extremities, is affected by his pseudofolliculitis barbae and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation? In answering this question, the examiner should use the already completed September 2020 examination results for the percentages of the Veteran’s face and neck affected by his pseudofolliculitis barbae and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (6 percent). TANYA SMITH Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board K. Ruiz, Associate Attorney 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.