The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his laparotomy for lysis of adhesions was granted, and he is now rated at 20 percent. The claim for a compensable rating for his surgical scar status post laparotomy was denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s abdominal wall muscles are weakened due to the ventral hernia, necessitating the use of an elastic corset. This meets the criteria for a 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 7339, which specifically contemplates postoperative ventral hernia.
- Claimed conditions
- abdominal symptoms, ventral hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 22, 2020
- Citation
- A20009207
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 A20009207.
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.
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The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for entitlement to compensable ratings for the service-connected spine and hernia disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim is denied as there is no current disability meeting VA standards.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus and ventral hernia were granted service connection effective October 1, 2022.
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