The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lung/respiratory disorder and for an increased rating for inguinal hernia repair. The decision also remanded the issue of service connection for a right knee disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support the presence of a current respiratory disability or any undiagnosed illness that could be attributed to Gulf War exposure, and there was no improvement in the Veteran's inguinal hernia repair condition as required by VA regulations for reduction of ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- left lung scar, inguinal hernia
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 9, 2019
- Citation
- A19000810
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (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 A19000810.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial disability ratings were denied. The Veteran was granted a rating of 40 percent, but no higher, for diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting the right lower extremity and left lower extremity, and a rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting the left upper extremity (minor).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a low back condition, residuals of kidney cancer, bilateral flat feet, and bilateral knee conditions. The appeals are now pending again due to the need for additional examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability evaluation for his service-connected inguinal hernia, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under either old or new Diagnostic Code 7338.
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