The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for abdominal incisional hernia prior to January 13, 2015 is denied. The Board finds that additional development is needed due to the lack of a recent VA examination and missing treatment records.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms have worsened since his last VA examination in January 2015, necessitating further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- abdominal incisional hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19100394
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 19100394.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine, right knee, and right ankle disabilities were remanded for further evaluation. The abdominal incisional hernia was denied. The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy with sciatic nerve involvement and left lower extremity radiculopathy with sciatic nerve involvement were granted initial 20 percent ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to potential exposure to contaminated water and other hazardous materials during service. The VA will verify this exposure and obtain an etiological opinion regarding the relationship between these exposures and the Veteran's claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran is not entitled to SMC by reason of the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities. However, he meets the criteria for SMC based on being housebound.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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