The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's low back disorder characterized by L-5 spondylolysis with grade II spondylolisthesis of L-5/S1, with bilateral neuroforaminal encroachment, greater on the right than the left at L-5/S-1, and mild degenerative changes. The initial evaluation for his service-connected thoracic spine disorder characterized as scoliosis with pain in excess of 10 percent disabling is also granted.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supports a finding that the veteran's low back disorder is related to his military service and cannot be dissociated from other service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- L-5 spondylolysis with grade II spondylolisthesis of L-5/S1, bilateral neuroforaminal encroachment, greater on the right than the left at L-5/S-1, mild degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- May 24, 2006
- Citation
- 0615242
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,242 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0615242.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability was denied because the new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim, and thus the request to reopen the previously denied claim is denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar spine strain with mild degenerative changes is rated at a 20 percent prior to October 24, 2019 and at a 40 percent thereafter. The Board found the Veteran’s functional limitations during flare-ups more closely approximated the criteria for a 40 percent rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disorder, including DJD of the lumbar spine and other back conditions, as there was no evidence of chronic disability resulting from in-service events.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasons and bases for denying service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. The Veteran's other diagnosed conditions are also being considered.
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