The Board has remanded the cases for further development and evaluation, including a VA examination to clarify the Veteran's hernia status. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the hernia rating issue.
The deciding factor: The June 2022 VA examination was ambiguous regarding whether the Veteran has recurrent hernia, which affects both his current disability rating and TDIU claims.
- Claimed conditions
- status post left inguinal hernia repair
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23001220
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 833 · Granted: 33% (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 23001220.
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 status post left inguinal hernia repair is rated as noncompensable, with no recurrence of the condition.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied due to lack of continuity of symptomatology from service or in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for broken left leg, left knee replacement, cervical spine condition, and back surgery were all denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.,The Veteran's right ankle condition with Achilles tendonitis and right foot condition have not been readjudicated due to lack of new and relevant evidence.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities, finding that they rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
- Granted
The Veteran is service-connected for multiple conditions, including PTSD rated at 100 percent. The Board found that the Veteran meets the criteria for SMC based on aid and assistance due to his need for regular aid and attendance because of his service-connected PTSD. However, he does not meet the criteria for SMC based on housebound status.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for GERD, left inguinal hernia repair, and chronic right ankle strain are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess their current severity.
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