The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar fusion and spondylolisthesis are related to an in-service injury, granting service connection for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in relative balance as to whether the Veteran’s current low back disability is related to service, with credible reports of back disability symptoms since his in-service injury and a positive nexus opinion from Dr. C.H.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar fusion, spondylolisthesis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19159269
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,017 · Granted: 36% (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 19159269.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a back disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that the evidence supports a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and the need for additional medical evidence. The Veteran's lower back disability, including lumbar strain and spondylolisthesis, is being reviewed again.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder, specifically whether it is related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a back condition, including spondylolisthesis, as the evidence did not show permanent aggravation of the preexisting condition during service.
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