The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for spondylolisthesis of the lumber spine and an increased rating for his low back strain, finding that new evidence did not support reopening the claim. The veteran's current low back strain is rated at 20 percent.
The deciding factor: New evidence submitted by the veteran was found insufficient to reopen the previously denied claims for service connection and increased rating.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylolisthesis of the lumber spine, degenerative changes (arthritis) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2003
- Citation
- 0302432
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 673 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0302432.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
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