The Board has denied compensation benefits for an inguinal hernia under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, finding that the disability was not caused by VA fault or negligence. Service connection for an inguinal hernia is remanded due to lack of a medical opinion regarding herbicide agent exposure during service.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence to establish causation between the inguinal hernia and either VA care or herbicide agent exposure, leading to a remand for further development including obtaining a medical opinion on the etiology of the condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Inguinal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2021
- Citation
- 21022787
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 21022787.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of VA medical opinions and failure to notify the appellant about private treatment records. The claims are related to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a left femur fracture status post-surgery, a left wrist disability, an inguinal hernia, and a back disability for additional development of evidence.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder was granted an increased rating of 70 percent, but no higher, from December 31, 2019. Other claims were denied.
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