The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic chondritis of the lower dorsal vertebrae, Scheuermann's disease, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine as there was no evidence showing a current diagnosis of these conditions or that they were related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The veteran's statements concerning the incurrence of a low back injury in service are not credible, and the current low back disorder is not shown to be related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic chondritis of the lower dorsal vertebrae, Scheuermann's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2008
- Citation
- 0816091
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 112 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0816091.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the appellant's thoracolumbar spine disability and Scheuermann's disease, finding that these conditions were caused or aggravated by events during his active-duty military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with spinal fusion, finding that his pre-existing Scheuermann's disease was aggravated by service. The decision also remanded the issue of service connection for a right knee disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the TDIU issue due to a lack of an updated VA examination and incomplete employment information. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his recently granted back-related bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, are being evaluated for their impact on his ability to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected Scheuermann's disease is being remanded due to the need for an updated VA examination. The address provided by the Veteran was incorrect, and he failed to report for the scheduled examination.
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