The Veteran's claims for service connection for spondylolisthesis with arthritis of thoracolumbar spine and sciatic radiculopathy of the left lower extremity were denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the Hickson elements, which include a showing of in-service injury or disease, current disability, and medical nexus.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's spondylolisthesis with arthritis of thoracolumbar spine or sciatic radiculopathy of the left lower extremity are related to service. The Board found no medical opinion linking these conditions to in-service injury or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylolisthesis with arthritis of thoracolumbar spine, sciatic radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2017
- Citation
- 1749011
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 1749011.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the proposed reduction in disability rating for lumbar decompression and fusion with lumbosacral strain is dismissed. The Veteran's initial higher disability ratings for sciatic radiculopathy of both lower extremities are denied, but he is granted a TDIU.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an effective date of June 10, 2021, but no earlier, for a 40 percent initial rating for service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis has been granted. The effective date is based on the date of receipt of the formal claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for sciatic radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities and TDIU are granted effective March 6, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability, along with other disabilities, rendered her unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of April 1, 2020. She is granted a TDIU effective from that date.,Effective April 1, 2020, the Veteran also received SMC at the 's' rate due to having one service-connected disability rated as 100 percent disabling and additional disabilities independently rated at least 60 percent disabling.
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