The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for a compensable disability rating for his umbilical hernia prior to May 28, 2010 and an earlier effective date for TDIU prior to November 5, 2008 must be remanded due to confusion in the submissions and need for further development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were not clearly articulated, leading to confusion regarding what he was seeking. The Board finds that his August 2018 NOD raised a claim for an increased rating and TDIU based on his umbilical hernia condition prior to May 28, 2010.
- Claimed conditions
- umbilical hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19163448
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 19163448.
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 Board granted service connection for hernia, other than hiatal, specifically ventral, inguinal, and umbilical hernias, finding that the Veteran's obesity, caused by his service-connected disabilities, was a substantial factor in causing these hernias.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for ventral hernia and umbilical hernia based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's current disability is related to his active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, vertigo, and various other conditions as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active duty.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical myelopathy with right upper extremity weakness, chronic kidney disease stage III, gout of the right foot, hip joint replacements, and umbilical hernia. The claims for left rotator cuff tear, sleep apnea, and tinnitus were remanded.
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