The Board has determined that service connection is granted for residuals of umbilical hernia repair, as the Veteran had a pre-existing condition at entry into service and there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut this presumption. The other two issues regarding right ankle and knee injuries are denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's November 1981 enlistment examination noted a normal abdomen and viscera, presuming soundness upon entrance. However, the pre-existing umbilical hernia was not aggravated by service as there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to support this claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Residuals of Right Ankle Injury, Residuals of Right Knee Injury, Residuals of Umbilical Hernia Repair
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2009
- Citation
- 0919027
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 0919027.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus, residuals of right ankle injury, and residuals of left ankle injury. The Veteran's current conditions are found to be related to his military service.,Service connection is also granted for sleep apnea, with the condition being presumed to have had its onset during active military service.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for left knee disability, residuals of right ankle injury, and right wrist disability. The new evidence shows current disabilities related to service.
- Dismissed
The veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Anxiety Disorder, Residuals of Right Knee Injury, and Migraine Headaches have been dismissed as the appellant has withdrawn these claims.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of a right knee injury, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher disability evaluations under VA rating criteria.
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