The Veteran's degenerative disc and degenerative joint disease at L5-S1 is due, in part, to permanent aggravation of his pre-existing spondylolysis in service.
The deciding factor: It was determined that the Veteran had a pre-existing congenital or acquired low back disorder (spondylolysis) at the time of service enlistment, and that the physical demands of military service contributed approximately 20 percent toward the subsequent development of additional superimposed injury, manifested by degenerative disc and degenerative joint disease at L5-S1.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylolysis with mechanical pain syndrome, degenerative disc disease at L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- February 17, 2009
- Citation
- 0905764
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (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 0905764.
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 for a higher disability rating for his lumbosacral spine disability was dismissed because he requested and received permission to withdraw his scheduled Board hearing.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 30 percent for headaches, denied a higher rating for degenerative disc disease at L5-S1, and denied an increased rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that his symptoms began during his period of active service deemed as bad conduct and therefore not eligible for benefits.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical degenerative disc disease and degenerative disc disease at L5-S1 are found to be etiologically related to active service, with the Board granting entitlement to service connection.
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