The Veteran's service connection claim for spina bifida occulta of S1 is denied, but her claim for a chronic lumbosacral strain is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's chronic lumbosacral strain began during service and was not related to her bilateral ankle stress reactions. The congenital defect spina bifida occulta of S1 did not meet the criteria for service connection as it cannot be granted under the law.
- Claimed conditions
- spina bifida occulta of S1, chronic lumbosacral strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 6, 2012
- Citation
- 1223533
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 1223533.
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 Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted the restoration of entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA), effective May 1, 2020. The decision was made due to procedural errors in the previous termination decisions.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial disability ratings for chronic lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities, and depression have been granted. The Veteran also received a TDIU effective from January 21, 2009.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in fulfilling its duty to assist, specifically regarding obtaining private treatment records from Dr. R and a retrospective medical opinion.
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