The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing scoliosis of the thoracic spine was aggravated by service, leading to a grant of service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that while scoliosis itself did not increase the incidence of low back pain in long-term populational studies, people who drove trucks as a vocation had an increased incidence of low back pain. The veteran's current symptoms were attributed to his vocational demands and decreased flexibility due to his pre-existing scoliosis.
- Claimed conditions
- scoliosis of the thoracic spine
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 6, 2003
- Citation
- 0311810
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,710 · Granted: 15% (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 0311810.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's pre-existing scoliosis disability was aggravated during service, and the Board has granted her claim for service connection based on aggravation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that more development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed low back disability, including whether his scoliosis is a congenital defect or disease. The case is being remanded for further examination and review.
- Denied
The Veteran's thoracic spine disability has resulted in painful limitation of motion but not to the extent that would warrant a higher rating. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected scoliosis of the thoracic spine.
- Granted
The Veteran's scoliosis of the thoracic spine and adjustment disorder with chronic depressive mood are granted service connection due to aggravation by a service-connected back disability. Headaches are remanded for further evaluation.
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