A parasitic infection affecting skin and mucous membranes, found in Central and South America.
Because this condition can be rated several ways, the evidence that matters most depends on where your symptoms fall. For disfigurement or scarring of the head, face, or neck, medical records and unretouched color photographs documenting tissue loss, distortion of facial features such as the nose, ears, lips, chin, forehead, or eyes, and measurable scar characteristics such as width, length, pigmentation changes, abnormal skin texture, or skin that is adherent or indurated are all relevant.
For scars elsewhere on the body, records showing the total area affected and whether underlying soft tissue is damaged help establish the correct level. Measurements in square inches are particularly useful. For unstable or painful scars, treatment notes and your own statements describing frequent skin breakdown or pain over the scar support that finding.
For dermatitis, records showing the percentage of your body or exposed areas covered by lesions and the type and duration of treatment prescribed over the past 12 months are central. Notes reflecting whether you have needed systemic therapy such as corticosteroids or biologics, and for how long, directly tie to the 10%, 30%, and 60% levels. Statements from you or people who know you describing how skin involvement affects your work or daily activities can also support the overall picture.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
