The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for right and left inguinal hernias due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran is required to provide authorization for VA to obtain his medical records from prior to his entrance into active service, including school physicals and other examinations.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was not enough information in the record regarding whether the inguinal hernias preexisted service or were aggravated by service. The Veteran is also required to provide authorization for VA to obtain these records.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Inguinal Hernia, Left Inguinal Hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18142506
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 18142506.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial ratings for allergic rhinitis and right inguinal hernia have been granted, with a 10% rating assigned in each case. The reduction of the scar status post inguinal hernia repair from 10% to non-compensable has also been restored.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD, a compensable rating for right inguinal hernia, and an earlier effective date for service connection of the hernia. The claim for service connection for gastrointestinal problems was remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied higher initial ratings for erectile dysfunction, right inguinal hernia, and scar -anterior trunk, abdomen (s/p right inguinal hernia repair), but granted a 10 percent rating for paresthesia -inferior maxillary fifth cranial nerve (now claimed as bruxism).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the appellant is not entitled to an effective date prior to July 6, 2016 for the grant of service connection for status post right inguinal hernia repair and prior to October 16, 2018 for the grant of service connection for painful scar, status post right inguinal hernia repair.,The Board has also determined that the appellant's claims for a compensable disability rating for status post right inguinal hernia repair, a compensable disability rating for scar status post right inguinal hernia repair, and an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for painful scar, status post right inguinal hernia repair are remanded. Additionally, the appellant's claim for TDIU is also remanded.
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