The Veteran's service-connected left inguinal hernia is not rated as compensable, but a separate 10 percent rating is granted for the scar associated with the herniorrhaphy.
The deciding factor: The clinical evidence did not show recurrence of the hernia and no truss or belt support was required. The Veteran's pain in the area of his hernia scar is considered by the Board to be a separate condition warranting a 10 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 7804.
- Claimed conditions
- left inguinal hernia, left inguinal hernia scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19188037
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,810 · 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 19188037.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability, right knee disability, bilateral hallux valgus with degenerative joint disease, bilateral shin splints (tingling of the bilateral lower extremities), tinea versicolor, migraines, and left shoulder disability are all found to have onset during his period of service from July 1996 to July 2008. As a result, these conditions are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's left inguinal hernia is not considered due to lack of current diagnosis or functional impairment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examinations are inadequate for rating both the hernia and scar conditions, and thus remands these issues to obtain a new examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's left inguinal hernia scars are currently rated at a noncompensable level, but the Board has granted a 20 percent rating for painful scars under Diagnostic Code 7804. The decision also notes that there is no evidence of instability or additional pain contributing to an even higher rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's left inguinal hernia is not rated compensable due to lack of functional impairment equivalent to postoperative hernia recurrent, readily reducible, and well supported by truss or belt.,The Veteran's tinea pedis with onychomycosis is rated 10 percent as it covers less than five percent of the total body area.
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