The Board has denied service connection for hernia of the abdomen and groin, as there is no evidence that it was incurred in or aggravated by military service.,Service connection for bilateral knee and arm conditions have also been denied. The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnoses are not related to his military service.,The Board has remanded the claim for diabetes mellitus, type II, as there is insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemicals.
The deciding factor: There was no objective medical evidence corroborating an in-service diagnosis of a hernia and the examiner found that the current condition did not have its onset during service.,The Board found that the Veteran's arthritis conditions are not related to his military service, as there were no complaints or treatment for such conditions during service. The examiner acknowledged the Veteran's STRs showing leg cramps and arm pain but these are not diagnostic of the current arthritic conditions.,There was insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemicals, which is a necessary element for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(e).
- Claimed conditions
- Hernia of the abdomen and groin, Bilateral arthritis of the knees and arms
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2022
- Citation
- 22032796
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 22032796.
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 decided to remand the Veteran's claims for hernia of the abdomen and groin, diabetes mellitus, type II, and bilateral arthritis of the knees and arms due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran will need additional VA examinations to address his service connection claims.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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