The Veteran's postoperative umbilical hernia scar is tender but stable, and does not warrant an increased rating.,Bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.,Service connection for anemia cannot be established as there is no current diagnosis of anemia.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's postoperative umbilical hernia scar remains tender but stable, and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7804.,Bilateral hearing loss did not show any improvement since the last evaluation, and thus no basis exists to grant a compensable rating.,The Veteran's anemia is not currently diagnosed, as his blood work showed normal levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit.
- Claimed conditions
- Postoperative umbilical hernia with tender scar, Bilateral hearing loss, Anemia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- A19003148
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 793 · Granted: 28% (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 A19003148.
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 claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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