The Board found that the Veteran's congenital scoliosis did not pre-exist his military service and was neither aggravated nor worsened by it. The current lumbar spine conditions are considered degenerative changes unlikely to be related to his brief period of active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA medical expert opined that the Veteran's congenital scoliosis is a disease, which did not pre-exist his military service and was not aggravated by it. The current lumbar spine conditions are considered degenerative changes unlikely to be related to his brief period of active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- Congenital scoliosis (levoscoliosis), lumbosacral spondylosis, mild spondylolisthesis, facet arthropathy, disc space narrowing, osteophytes
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2014
- Citation
- 1407839
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 1407839.
What this means for you
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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 lumbar spine discogenic disease status post surgery, spondylosis, and facet arthropathy as secondary to his service-connected right ankle disability. The SMC claim is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 20 percent for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) with bulging disc L4-5 with decreased range of motion of the lumbosacral spine was dismissed. The Board also remanded her service connection claim for disc space narrowing and degenerative endplate spurring at C6/C7.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back disability, diagnosed as multilevel degenerative disc disease and facet arthropathy, finding that it is related to his in-service injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claim for eligibility to enroll in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is remanded due to insufficient evidence and lack of proper notice. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in a need for personal care services, but this determination was made without adequate medical justification or explanation.
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