The Board has reopened the previously denied claim of service connection for a skin disability, including a skin rash to the neck and arms. The right inguinal hernia issue was remanded due to insufficient evidence. Initial ratings for cholecystectomy scar status post gall bladder removal and left shoulder surgical scar remain noncompensable.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim of service connection for a skin disability, including a skin rash to the neck and arms, has been reopened based on new and material evidence. The right inguinal hernia issue was remanded due to insufficient evidence provided by the Veteran or his representative. Initial ratings for cholecystectomy scar status post gall bladder removal and left shoulder surgical scar remain noncompensable.
- Claimed conditions
- Cholecystectomy scar status post gall bladder removal, Left shoulder surgical scar, Right inguinal hernia, Skin disability (including skin rash to the neck and arms)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19141450
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (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 19141450.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's right inguinal hernia repair due to lack of evidence of recurrent or disabling symptoms.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right inguinal hernia, finding that it does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under either the old or new VA rating criteria.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right inguinal hernia, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to the condition and that the current diagnosis was not incurred during active duty.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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