The Veteran's right inguinal hernia with GERD has been shown to be remediable and without true hernia protrusion, despite not having been operated on. However, it has also been shown to be productive of persistent recurrent epigastric distress with substernal shoulder pain of a mild severity.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right inguinal hernia is currently rated as noncompensable due to its small size and reducibility without true protrusion. However, the symptoms associated with GERD have been found to warrant a separate 10% evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7346.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Inguinal Hernia, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- September 14, 2017
- Citation
- 1739348
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 1739348.
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 Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted a 70% rating, effective July 15, 2024. The Veteran's GERD remains at a 10% rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted at a 70 percent rating prior to July 29, 2024. The GERD rating remains at 30 percent disabled but no higher.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's IBS with GERD was granted an initial 60 percent rating. The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and development.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected IBS and GERD, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria.
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