The Board remands the claim for an additional addendum opinion to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding his ventral hernia, as the previous opinions did not adequately consider this evidence.
The deciding factor: The previous examiner's opinion failed to adequately consider the lay evidence and ignored the remand directive to consider updated criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- status post epigastric herniorrhaphy, ventral hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 24, 2025
- Citation
- 25008325
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 remands the claims for further development, including obtaining outstanding private medical records.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hernia, other than hiatal, specifically ventral, inguinal, and umbilical hernias, finding that the Veteran's obesity, caused by his service-connected disabilities, was a substantial factor in causing these hernias.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including radical cystectomy residuals with colonic pouch, ventral hernia, hypertension, and others, as the evidence did not corroborate the Veteran's reported exposure to Agent Orange or asbestos during service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for ventral hernia and umbilical hernia based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's current disability is related to his active military service.
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