The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder, finding that her Scheuermann's kyphosis and/or defect of the posterior elements of S1 pre-existed service. The other back disorders were not shown to have been incurred or aggravated during service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's pre-existing Scheuermann's kyphosis and defect of the posterior elements of S1, commonly referred to as spina bifida occulta, were found to be unrelated to her military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Scheuermann's kyphosis, defect of the posterior elements of S1, commonly referred to as spina bifida occulta, spondylosis of the L-5 vertebra, associated spondylolisthesis of L-5 vertebral body on S-1, degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, lower extremity pain symptoms identified as radiculopathy or polyneuropathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2012
- Citation
- 1242651
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 1242651.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to military service.
- Granted
The Board granted a 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's low back disorder, effective March 31, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's motion to reverse a June 1988 rating decision that denied service connection for Scheuermann's kyphosis, finding no CUE.
- Denied
The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period prior to March 28, 2014 was denied as his service-connected disabilities did not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU and there is no evidence of unemployability due to these conditions.
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