The Board has granted service connection for scoliosis and degenerative arthritis of the spine, but denied service connection for residuals of surgical removal of a spinal cord tumor due to syringomyelia. The Board found that the Veteran's scoliosis is acquired rather than congenital, and that his symptoms of spine arthritis were chronic in service and continuous since separation.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the evidence was at least in equipoise on whether the Veteran's symptoms of spine arthritis were chronic during service and continuous after separation, leading to presumptive service connection based on arthritis. The Board also found that the syringomyelia developed from a spinal cord tumor noticed in 2002, not due to scoliosis or inadequate treatment for syphilis.
- Claimed conditions
- scoliosis, degenerative arthritis of the spine, degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21075596
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 21075596.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition, including degenerative disc disease and scoliosis, due to lack of current disability evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine was granted. The claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and residuals of head injuries and concussions are remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for earlier effective date for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) prior to August 8, 2024, and dependency benefits from June 1, 2025, to August 8, 2025, for the school-aged child are both denied.
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