The Board found that the veteran's scoliosis of the thoracic spine preexisted service and was not aggravated by service. The claim for a psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety, depression, and manic depression, was also denied as it was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor is it secondary to the service-connected scar of the left neck or his back disability.
The deciding factor: The veteran's scoliosis preexisted service and did not increase in severity during service. There was no competent evidence linking the psychiatric disorder to service or a service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- scoliosis of the thoracic spine, psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety, depression, and manic depression
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2008
- Citation
- 0813265
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including back pain, knee and wrist joint pains, neck pain, anxiety, depression, as further development is needed to properly adjudicate these claims.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for generalized anxiety disorder and denied service connection for a lower back disorder. The claims for depression, substance abuse disorder, and a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss were dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for depression, PTSD, and an anxiety disorder due to the lack of a current diagnosis.
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