The Veteran's biological son does not have spina bifida, and the mother is not a Vietnam Veteran. Therefore, the child is ineligible for benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 18.
The deciding factor: The appellant does not meet the criteria for spina bifida as defined in the statute and VA regulation.
- Claimed conditions
- imperforated anus, foot deformity, vision problems, psoriasis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2022
- Citation
- 22064962
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 22064962.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for heart attack, kidney stones, polycythemia vera, diabetes mellitus type 2, and psoriasis is remanded due to inadequate VA opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's vision problems, which may be related to his service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU based on a single disability, finding that his psychiatric disorder alone did not render him unemployable and that he was not in receipt of a total disability rating based on a single service-connected condition.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's sleep apnea, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis have been granted effective as of September 9, 2021. The effective date for the grant of service connection is based on the PACT Act.
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