Citation Nr: 21023838 Decision Date: 04/21/21 Archive Date: 04/21/21 DOCKET NO. 16-24 640A DATE: April 21, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a skin condition is remanded. Entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for type II diabetes mellitus is remanded. Entitlement to a compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Army from March 1966 to March 1969, to include service in the Republic of Vietnam. For his honorable service, the Veteran was awarded (among other decorations) the Vietnam Service and Campaign Medals. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a rating decision issued in December 2015 by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Veteran was scheduled for a Board hearing in August 2019. The Veteran did not appear for the hearing and did not provide good cause as to why he was unable to appear. His hearing request is considered withdrawn. 1. Entitlement to service connection for a skin condition is remanded. The Veteran asserts that he is entitled to service connection for a skin condition due to exposure to herbicides while in Vietnam; or, in the alternative, as secondary to his diabetes mellitus. In his November 2020 Appellate Brief, the Veteran, through his representative, submitted multiple medical references suggesting a connection between his current skin condition and his service-connected diabetes. Additionally, in his January 2016 Notice of Disagreement, the Veteran asserted that his skin condition was related to his exposure to herbicide agents while in Vietnam. The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on the issue of entitlement to service connection for a skin condition because no VA examiner has opined whether the Veteran’s skin condition is related to exposure to herbicides; or is proximately due to, or aggravated beyond its normal progression by, his service connected diabetes. Thus, a remand is warranted to obtain a VA examination. 2. Entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for type II diabetes mellitus is remanded. 3. Entitlement to a compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction is remanded. The Veteran also asserts that he is entitled to a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his diabetes, and a compensable rating for his erectile dysfunction. To this point, the RO has granted special monthly compensation for the Veteran’s erectile dysfunction. Finding, however, that his disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating, the RO has not separately rated the Veteran’s erectile dysfunction but has, instead, rated it as a non-compensable complication that is part of the diabetic process. However, the Board cannot make a fully informed decision on the issue of whether an increased rating is warranted for either condition is warranted, as the most recent VA examination of record was obtained in December 2015. While the passage of time alone does not necessarily trigger the need for a new VA examination, the six year lag between the Veteran’s previous examination and the present day is an impediment to the Board’s making a fully informed decision. Thus, a new examination is warranted to obtain an accurate depiction of the current severity of the Veteran’s type II diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain any outstanding VA treatment records from October 2016 to the present. 2. Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination for his skin condition. The examiner must review the claims file. If a diagnosis cannot be provided but the Veteran’s condition manifests in symptoms that cause functional impairment, then the examiner should consider them a “disability” for the purpose of providing the requested opinion(s) below. The examiner is asked to provide a response to the following: From what current skin condition or conditions does the Veteran suffer? Is it at least as likely as not that any identified skin condition is related to the Veteran’s active service, including exposure to herbicide agents? Is it at least as likely as not that any identified skin condition is proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by his service-connected type II diabetes? A complete rationale is required for all requested opinions. In offering an opinion. The examiner is also asked to address the medical sources cited by the Veteran’s representative in his November 2020 Appellate Brief. 3. Schedule the Veteran for an examination by an appropriate examiner to determine the current severity of his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus. The examiner should provide a full description of the disability and report all signs and symptoms necessary for evaluating the Veteran’s disability under the rating criteria. The examiner must also describe the current level of severity of the Veteran’s erectile dysfunction, to include whether that disability results in either internal or external evidence of a penile deformity. Evan M. Deichert Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board C. K. Hall, 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.