The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an umbilical hernia and did not address his left knee disorder claim. The Board found that new evidence submitted since the final denial of his left knee disorder claim was not sufficient to reopen the claim.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the veteran's umbilical hernia or left knee disorder were incurred in service, and no new and material evidence has been presented for the reopened left knee disorder claim.
- Claimed conditions
- umbilical hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2002
- Citation
- 0216704
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0216704.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for loss of teeth and service connection for an umbilical hernia.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hernia, other than hiatal, specifically ventral, inguinal, and umbilical hernias, finding that the Veteran's obesity, caused by his service-connected disabilities, was a substantial factor in causing these hernias.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for ventral hernia and umbilical hernia based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's current disability is related to his active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, vertigo, and various other conditions as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active duty.
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