The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disorders, including scoliosis and congenital anomaly at L4 with fusion to L5, are not service-connected as they are considered congenital defects. The degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is also found not to be related to active military service.
The deciding factor: The VA medical examiner determined that the Veteran's scoliosis and congenital anomaly were congenital defects and did not pre-exist or worsen during service, making them ineligible for service connection. The degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was also found to have no relation to active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- scoliosis of the lumbar spine, congenital anomaly at L4 with fusion to L5
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 25, 2016
- Citation
- 1644522
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 1644522.
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 Veteran's scoliosis of the lumbar spine is related to his active service and has been granted service connection.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sinusitis, right ankle tendonitis, scoliosis of the lumbar spine, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for scoliosis of the lumbar spine, finding that it was aggravated during service beyond its natural progression.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected scoliosis of the lumbar spine is being remanded due to insufficient examination reports and lack of information on functional limitations.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.