The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for a hernia repair scar and postoperative left inguinal hernia was denied. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including paranoid schizophrenia, is also denied.,The Board has remanded the case to allow for further examination of the Veteran's left knee disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for the postoperative left inguinal hernia and service connection was denied due to lack of in-service diagnosis or relationship.
- Claimed conditions
- Hernia repair scar, Left inguinal hernia, Acquired psychiatric disorder (including paranoid schizophrenia)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2024
- Citation
- 24003543
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 24003543.
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 claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) and basic eligibility for Dependents Education Assistance (DEA) is granted with an effective date of May 23, 2017.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher initial rating for left inguinal hernia and an initial compensable rating for the scar of the left inguinal hernia, as there was no evidence of recurrent hernia or a painful, unstable, or large scar.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 10 percent rating for the left inguinal herniorrhaphy scar but denied a compensable rating for the left inguinal hernia and a 10 percent evaluation under 38 C.F.R. § 3.324 based on multiple, noncompensable service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to DDD with IVDS, erectile dysfunction as secondary to DDD with IVDS, and special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ. The appeal was denied for service connection for depression and anxiety, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, hypothyroidism, left lower extremity deep vein thrombosis, right and left lower extremity peripheral edema, and inguinal hernias.
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