The Veteran's service-connected status post left inguinal hernia is not secondary to his right inguinal hernia and is therefore denied.,The Veteran's right fifth finger disability has been rated as non-compensable, with no evidence of limitation of motion or functional impairment. A higher rating is denied.,The Veteran's right knee disability (including gout) has been rated at 10 percent since June 20, 2019. The claim for a higher rating remains pending.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support the contention that the Veteran’s status post left inguinal hernia is secondary to his service-connected right inguinal hernia.
- Claimed conditions
- Status Post Left Inguinal Hernia, Right Fifth Finger Disability, Right Knee Patellofemoral Syndrome with Gout (Right Knee Disability)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20000661
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,429 · Granted: 29% (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 20000661.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability is remanded due to new evidence suggesting aggravation. The claims for increased ratings for his right fifth finger and right eyelid disabilities are also remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain a new VA examination for the Veteran's service-connected right fifth finger disability and to address his claim for TDIU. The current examinations do not comply with the requirements of Sharp v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 26 (2017), and Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016).
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 10 percent rating for chronic sinusitis, effective May 29, 2013. The appeal regarding a higher rating for right knee disability and right hand disability was denied. An earlier effective date of May 29, 2013 for the initial 10 percent rating for chronic sinusitis is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's right fifth finger disability has been manifested by complaints of pain; the limitation of finger function is not equivalent to amputation. The criteria for a higher rating have not been met.
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