The Board denied benefits under Chapter 18 of Title 38, United States Code, for childhood birth defects because the appellant does not have spina bifida and her mother was not a Vietnam veteran. The appeal is dismissed as there are no legal grounds to grant the claim.
The deciding factor: The law mandates that the type of benefits for which the appellant is seeking are only available based upon a father's Vietnam service when it is a claim for spina bifida, and all other conditions must be based upon a mother's Vietnam service; and the appellant has acknowledged that neither of these requirements are present.
- Claimed conditions
- neurofibromas, other non-cancerous tumors of the spinal cord
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2017
- Citation
- 1748701
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 1748701.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's cause of death (metastatic cancer of an unknown primary origin, schwannomas of the spinal cord, and neurofibromas) to his military service or any related exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral foot disability, including retrocalcaneal bursitis and neurofibromas, is currently rated at 30 percent since February 21, 2012. The effective date for service connection of these conditions has been established as August 18, 2009.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete evidence regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides during service, and requests that additional information be provided. The claim will be reconsidered after all available evidence is obtained.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's current left lung disorder, including neurofibromas and granulomas, is not related to his military service or exposure to herbicides. As such, he was denied service connection.
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