The Board granted a 40 percent rating for status post lumbar fusion, L4-L5, with Tarlov cysts and denied a compensable evaluation for scar, status post left inguinal hernia repair.
The deciding factor: The veteran's back condition was found to be more severe than previously rated, while the scar did not meet criteria for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- scar, status post left inguinal hernia repair, status post lumbar fusion, L4-L5, with Tarlov cysts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 30, 2009
- Citation
- 0903353
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0903353.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected scar, status post left inguinal hernia repair is manifested by one superficial scar on the left groin that is painful on examination. The Board finds that a disability rating of 10 percent (but no higher) for this condition has been met.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
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- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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