BVA decisions by condition
Hernia inguinal: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a hernia inguinal issue in 2,365 decisions. It granted the hernia inguinal issue in 11.1% of them, below the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 42.8%, and remanded it in 45.3%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 20.6% were granted.
Decisions
2,365
2017–2026
Granted
11.1%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
20.6%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
45.3%
Denied: 42.8%
Hernia inguinal outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 160 | 9.4% | 44.4% | 42.5% | 3.8% |
| 2018 | 288 | 7.3% | 47.2% | 42.4% | 3.1% |
| 2019 | 336 | 11.3% | 42.9% | 44.0% | 1.8% |
| 2020 | 284 | 10.9% | 42.3% | 45.4% | 1.4% |
| 2021 | 235 | 11.1% | 43.0% | 44.3% | 1.7% |
| 2022 | 275 | 13.1% | 30.9% | 52.7% | 3.3% |
| 2023 | 297 | 11.8% | 35.7% | 50.2% | 2.4% |
| 2024 | 305 | 10.2% | 43.0% | 45.2% | 1.6% |
| 2025 | 227 | 12.3% | 48.9% | 38.3% | 0.4% |
| 2026 | 91 | 15.4% | 52.7% | 31.9% | 0.0% |
Each row counts issues (each condition the Board decided), so the shares add up to 100%. Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome. Years with fewer than 50 issues are left out.
Evidence in granted and denied hernia inguinal decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the hernia inguinal issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive nexus opinion | 242 | 43.8% | 16.8% | +26.9 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 100 | 43.9% | 19.5% | +24.4 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 236 | 40.2% | 17.2% | +23.0 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 224 | 33.3% | 19.7% | +13.6 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 600 | 28.9% | 17.4% | +11.5 pts |
| Lay statement | 1,905 | 20.7% | 19.7% | +1.0 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 66.8% of the decisions that granted hernia inguinal.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 43.5% of grants and 14.5% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often hernia inguinal was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative nexus opinion | 987 | 18.1% | 22.8% | −4.7 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 1,669 | 18.4% | 30.2% | −11.7 pts |
Why the Board granted or denied hernia inguinal
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established25
- Caused by the service-connected disability6
- Criteria for service connection met4
- Criteria for 10 percent rating met4
- New and material evidence received to reopen claim4
- Competent and credible testimony3
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim97
- No current diagnosis71
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis68
- Service records negative or silent55
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service48
- Criteria for compensable rating not met34
- Current diagnosis established30
- No hernia detected on examination18
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent hernia inguinal decisions
Granted
In-service diagnosis of inguinal hernia; Military surgical intervention for hernia; Line of duty determination indicated hernia caused by military fitness program; Evidence in equipoise; doubt resolved in Veteran's favor
Evidence in approximate balance warranted resolving doubt in veteran's favor.; Recurrent hernia confirmed by imaging.; Persistent pain and functional limitations documented.
Positive November 2025 VA opinion finding nexus; In-service complaints of pain and diagnosis of hernia; In-service repair noted
Denied
Weight of evidence against finding of testicular hernia; No diagnosis of testicular hernia in service treatment or VA records; Epididymitis residuals already service-connected
Examinations found no hernia detected; Veteran's reported symptoms not objectively supported; Evidence weighs against recurrent hernia
VA examination found no hernias and no need for a supporting belt.; Veteran's reports of pain alone do not warrant a compensable evaluation.; 38 C.F.R. § 4.59 is inapplicable as hernia does not impact a joint.
Rules that apply to hernia inguinal claims
- 38 CFR 3.303
Principles of service connection
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your hernia inguinal case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Rates count decisions in which the Board decided a hernia inguinal issue, by the outcome of that issue. Other issues in the same decision can have different outcomes.
- “Granted on the merits” leaves out remands and dismissals. “All conditions” is the grant share across every condition issue in the data.
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.