The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine and granted a 20 percent rating for his low back strain. The evidence submitted since the last final denial is considered new and material, suggesting that the veteran's current condition may be related to his period of service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion provided by Dr. Schwartz supports the claim that the veteran's spondylolisthesis existed prior to service but was aggravated during active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- July 18, 2000
- Citation
- 0018773
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 0018773.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine and granted a 20 percent rating, but no higher, for left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board denied entitlement to a rating in excess of 40 percent for the Veteran's back disability, finding that the evidence did not support an increased rating even when considering flare-ups and functional limitations.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine as proximately due to changes in gait resulting from the Veteran's service connected left ankle and right knee disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.
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