The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty about whether the appellant has a form or manifestation of spina bifida, other than spina bifida occulta. A VA examination is needed to clarify this.
The deciding factor: The appellant's father served in Vietnam and was presumed exposed to herbicide agents. The appellant claims she has spina bifida due to her father’s exposure. However, private records indicate the appellant may have a congenital spinal deformity instead of spina bifida.
- Claimed conditions
- spina bifida, spina bifida occulta
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20026168
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 20026168.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The claim for benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1805 for a child born with spina bifida is denied because no new and relevant evidence has been submitted to support the claim.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for spina bifida occulta (claimed as low back condition or back) was denied because he failed to report for a required VA examination without good cause, and the criteria for direct service connection were not met.
- Denied
The Veteran's child is denied benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1805 for spina bifida because the diagnosis of spina bifida occulta does not meet the criteria.
- Denied
The Board denied benefits for spina bifida and other covered birth defects because the Appellant does not have a diagnosis of spina bifida, her mother is not a Vietnam Veteran, and there is no legal basis to grant benefits.
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