The Board has determined that the appellant is not entitled to an effective date prior to July 6, 2016 for the grant of service connection for status post right inguinal hernia repair and prior to October 16, 2018 for the grant of service connection for painful scar, status post right inguinal hernia repair.,The Board has also determined that the appellant's claims for a compensable disability rating for status post right inguinal hernia repair, a compensable disability rating for scar status post right inguinal hernia repair, and an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for painful scar, status post right inguinal hernia repair are remanded. Additionally, the appellant's claim for TDIU is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence of a communication received by VA that can be construed as an informal or formal claim for compensation for the right inguinal hernia prior to July 6, 2016 and for painful scar associated with right inguinal hernia repair prior to October 16, 2018.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Inguinal Hernia, Painful Scar, Right Inguinal Hernia Repair
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2023
- Citation
- 23065064
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 23065064.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial ratings for allergic rhinitis and right inguinal hernia have been granted, with a 10% rating assigned in each case. The reduction of the scar status post inguinal hernia repair from 10% to non-compensable has also been restored.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD, a compensable rating for right inguinal hernia, and an earlier effective date for service connection of the hernia. The claim for service connection for gastrointestinal problems was remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied higher initial ratings for erectile dysfunction, right inguinal hernia, and scar -anterior trunk, abdomen (s/p right inguinal hernia repair), but granted a 10 percent rating for paresthesia -inferior maxillary fifth cranial nerve (now claimed as bruxism).
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.,The Veteran's right inguinal hernia rating was reinstated to 30 percent effective February 1, 2019. The Board found that the reduction from 30 percent to 10 percent in November 2018 was improper and restored the original 30 percent rating.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was granted.
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