The Veteran's appeal was denied as his service-connected residuals of a hernia do not warrant an increased rating or earlier effective date. The Board found that the current evaluation adequately reflects the severity of his disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and outpatient treatment records did not provide evidence indicating that the Veteran's service-connected residuals of a hernia warranted an increase in evaluation or earlier effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disorder (hypertension), left shoulder pain, remote right ankle sprain, fracture of the fifth digit of the right hand, muscle contracture headaches, contusion of the left lower leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 30, 2011
- Citation
- 1131935
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1131935.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to reopen previously denied service connection claims for various joint conditions, including right ankle arthritis, left ankle arthritis, right shoulder pain, left shoulder pain, right knee arthritis, and left knee arthritis. The skin condition claim is remanded.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for skin cancer, facial scars, impairment of cranial nerve V and VII, left eye condition with watering and dryness, and left shoulder pain due to a duty-to-assist error in obtaining an adequate medical opinion regarding the relationship between these conditions and service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder pain and a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee strain, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is denied, as the evidence does not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria. The claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is also denied due to lack of evidence supporting a higher rating based on audiometric results. Service connection for hypertension and bilateral foot fungus are granted with effective dates from May 19, 2020, to August 9, 2022, respectively. The Veteran's claims for service connection regarding left knee pain (status post arthroscopy), right knee pain (status post arthroscopy), low back disability (degenerative arthritis of the spine), left shoulder pain, and right shoulder pain are all granted with effective dates from August 10, 2022. The Veteran's claims for service connection regarding left leg shooting pain and radiculopathy secondary to low back disability and right leg shooting pain and radiculopathy secondary to low back disability remain pending.
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