The Board found that the Veteran's congenital deformity and transitional L6 with spondylolysis did not pre-exist service, and thus could not be granted service connection. The current diagnoses of lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis were also deemed to have occurred due to natural progression rather than in-service aggravation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's congenital deformity and transitional L6 with spondylolysis did not pre-exist service, and thus could not be granted service connection. The current diagnoses of lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis were also deemed to have occurred due to natural progression rather than in-service aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- Congenital deformity of lumbar spine, Transitional L6 with spondylolysis, Degenerative arthritis of the spine
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2017
- Citation
- 1752386
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 1752386.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right ankle degenerative arthritis, and left ankle degenerative arthritis.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 50 percent effective February 13, 2021. His left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy is rated at 80 percent from April 21, 2013 to February 12, 2021. The Veteran's TDIU claim has an earlier effective date of April 21, 2013.
- Granted
The Veteran's back condition is granted an increased disability rating of 40 percent, but no higher. The claims for service connection for LLE and RLE radiculopathies are remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities on a direct basis, finding that these conditions began during active service.
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