The Veteran's claim for service connection for left inguinal pain is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating prior to April 14, 2018, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter (but excluding from August 7, 2018 to September 30, 2018) for service-connected inguinal hernia repair right side is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's left inguinal pain needs to be evaluated in relation to his service-connected inguinal hernia repair right side, and the current severity of his inguinal hernia condition must be determined.
- Claimed conditions
- residual surgical scar, status post right inguinal hernia repair, left inguinal pain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20008263
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,592 · Granted: 19% (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 20008263.
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 Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his right inguinal hernia and residual surgical scar, as well as a secondary service connection claim for a muscle disability, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting any of these claims.
- Denied
The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his residuals of left inguinal pain, status post left varicocele surgery times two, and left symptomatic varicocele as it does not meet the criteria to be assigned a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.