The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions provided were inadequate and remands the case for further development to obtain a new opinion addressing whether the inguinal hernia is related to service, proximately due to or caused by service-connected back disability, and aggravated by service-connected back disability.
The deciding factor: The previous VA medical opinions did not address all aspects of the secondary service connection claim as instructed by the Board in its April 2019 remand.
- Claimed conditions
- inguinal hernia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2022
- Citation
- 22016286
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 22016286.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial disability ratings were denied. The Veteran was granted a rating of 40 percent, but no higher, for diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting the right lower extremity and left lower extremity, and a rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for diabetic peripheral neuropathy affecting the left upper extremity (minor).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a low back condition, residuals of kidney cancer, bilateral flat feet, and bilateral knee conditions. The appeals are now pending again due to the need for additional examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability evaluation for his service-connected inguinal hernia, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under either old or new Diagnostic Code 7338.
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