Citation Nr: 21023468 Decision Date: 04/20/21 Archive Date: 04/20/21 DOCKET NO. 15-10 635 DATE: April 20, 2021 ORDER Entitlement to service connection for ichthyosis is denied. FINDING OF FACT The Veteran has no current diagnosis of a skin condition, to include ichthyosis. CONCLUSION OF LAW The criteria for entitlement to service connection for ichthyosis have not been met. 38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 5107; 38 C.F.R. § 3.303. REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION The Veteran served on active duty from February 1964 to December 1967. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from an April 2012 rating decision of a Regional Office (RO) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This matter was previously before the Board in October 2020 when it was remanded for additional evidentiary development. Please note that the case has been advanced on the docket pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 20.900 (c) (2019). Entitlement to service connection for ichthyosis Here, the Veteran contends that his skin disorder was incurred during military service. Service connection is warranted where the evidence of record establishes that a particular injury or disease resulting in disability was incurred in the line of duty in the active military service or, if pre-existing such service, was aggravated thereby. 38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 1131; 38 C.F.R. § 3.303 (a). Generally, in order to prove service connection, there must be competent, credible evidence of (1) a current disability, (2) in-service incurrence or aggravation of an injury or disease, and (3) a nexus, or link, between the current disability and the in-service disease or injury. See, e.g., Davidson v. Shinseki, 581 F.3d 1313 (Fed. Cir. 2009). The question for the Board is whether the Veteran has a current disability that began during service or is at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury, event, or disease. The Board concludes that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any skin condition, to include ichthyosis, and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. Romanowsky v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 289, 294 (2013); McClain v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 319, 321 (2007). The Board notes that a review of the Veteran’s service treatment records (STRs) shows reports of ichthyosis. See December 1967 and December 1968 STRs. The Veteran has submitted private treatment records, all of which show no skin issues, with no rashes, dry or sensitive skin, as well as normal skin evaluations. See April 2009, August 2010, January 2011, June 2011, and October 2011 Private Treatment Records. A review of the Veteran’s VA treatment records shows that the Veteran has denied skin rashes with no lesions present. See September 2015 VA Treatment Record. In accordance with the October 2020 Board remand, the Veteran was afforded a VA examination in March 2021. Following an examination of the Veteran, the VA examiner determined that the Veteran has no current skin condition diagnosis, reporting that there were no findings, signs, and/or symptoms. Therefore, the VA examiner opined that it is less likely than not that the Veteran’s current skin status is ichthyosis or any other chronic skin condition. The VA examiner noted that ichthyosis is an inherited, genetic skin disorder in which dead skin cells accumulate in thick, dry scales, which can be present at birth but usually first appear during early childhood. Thus, the Veteran’s skin history of symptoms, signs, physical examination findings, or biopsy findings do not support a diagnosis of ichthyosis. A threshold requirement for the granting of service connection is evidence of a current disability. In the absence of evidence of a current disability there can be no valid claim. Brammer v. Derwinski, 3 Vet. App. 223, 225 (1992). There is no current diagnosis of any skin condition, including ichthyosis, contained in the evidence of record and no underlying disability has been clinically diagnosed during the appeal period or proximate thereto. See McClain v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 319 (2007); Romanowsky v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 289 (2013). (Continued on the next page)   While the Veteran is competent to report observable symptoms, he is not competent to determine a diagnosis of ichthyosis. This issue is medically complex, as it requires specialized medical education and the ability to interpret the results of diagnostic medical testing. Jandreau v. Nicholson, 492 F.3d 1372, 1377, 1377 n.4 (Fed. Cir. 2007). Consequently, the Board gives more probative weight to the competent medical evidence showing the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any skin condition, including ichthyosis. Accordingly, entitlement to service connection for a skin condition, including ichthyosis, is not warranted. KRISTI L. GUNN Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board A. C. Slaughter, 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.