The Board remands the claim for service connection for inguinal hernia to schedule an additional VA examination with opinion, as the previous one did not adequately address the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset and continuity of his symptoms.
The deciding factor: The June 2021 examiner failed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset and continuity of his symptoms, which is a duty to assist error.
- Claimed conditions
- inguinal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25039491
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for an inguinal hernia and remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, a skin condition, suspicious nevus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- 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 lower back sprain, heart disease, cervical spine disorder, inguinal hernia, work stress (high anxiety), basal cell carcinoma of the nose, glaucoma, high blood pressure, digestive disorder, and hearing loss as there was no evidence of a current disability or an in-service event, injury, or illness related to these conditions.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death while it was pending.
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