The Veteran's disability rating for bilateral inguinal hernia and left hydrocele repair was reduced from 20 percent to 10 percent effective August 1, 2015. The Board found that the reduction was not proper due to inadequate examinations and restored the original 20 percent rating.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were deemed inadequate as they did not properly consider the Veteran's lay statements or provide a rationale for their findings of no hernia detected on examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral inguinal hernia, Left hydrocele repair
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194769
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (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 19194769.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied initial compensable disability ratings for various scars, inguinal hernia, and other conditions. The issues related to lumbar discogenic pain with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, thoracic spine pain, adjustment disorder, alcohol use disorder, right clavicle facture, and left hand boxer's fracture were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral inguinal hernia and residual scar, but remanded claims for service connection for low back disability, other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder, left knee disability, right hip disability, and left hip disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD was granted a total disability rating from August 22, 2019, and special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from September 30, 2019. The Veteran is also granted individual unemployability based on service-connected disabilities from December 1, 2013.
- Denied
The Board denied initial compensable ratings for residuals of bilateral inguinal hernia repair and service connection for a balance disorder, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for any higher rating or service connection.
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