The Veteran's claim for service connection for spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine, claimed as lower back pain, was reopened. Service connection is granted for this condition based on direct evidence showing a current disability related to active duty service.
The deciding factor: The May 2009 Board decision conceded that the Veteran had degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, which is considered a current disability. The new evidence provided by the Veteran's private physician supports the claim for service connection based on direct evidence of an in-service injury resulting in current symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176411
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (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 19176411.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's spondylolysis was granted a 40 percent rating from November 25, 2013 to October 26, 2023. The condition resulted in forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine being limited to 20 degrees during use over time.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's attorney has withdrawn the appeal, and thus the claims for increased ratings are dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine and granted a 20 percent rating, but no higher, for left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board denied entitlement to a rating in excess of 40 percent for the Veteran's back disability, finding that the evidence did not support an increased rating even when considering flare-ups and functional limitations.
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