The Board has determined that the appellant's specific condition of occipital encephalocele, Chiari II malformation, hydrocephalus, and cervical syringomyelia falls within the spectrum of spina bifida. As her mother served in Vietnam, she is entitled to a monetary allowance under 38 U.S.C.A., Chapter 18.
The deciding factor: All medical experts agreed that the appellant's specific condition (occipital encephalocele, Chiari II malformation, hydrocephalus, and cervical syringomyelia) falls within the spectrum of spina bifida.
- Claimed conditions
- spina bifida, occipital encephalocele, Chiari II malformation, hydrocephalus, cervical syringomyelia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2004
- Citation
- 0411145
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 0411145.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied an effective date prior to January 1, 2020 for the grant of benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1822 for a child born with spina bifida due to the specific statutory effective date set by The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.
- Partly granted
The Board denied benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1815 for a child born with birth defects and remanded the claim for benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1805 for a child born with spina bifida.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for hydrocephalus and TDIU, finding no evidence of a causal relationship between the Veteran's hydrocephalus and his in-service chemical exposure or any service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to determine whether the appellant's congenital neural tube defect caused or contributed to his January 1986 hypoxic brain injury event, and if not, to estimate the type and severity of symptoms he would currently exhibit due to spina bifida.
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