The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with multilevel degenerative disc disease and L5-S1 spondylolisthesis and surgical fusion was granted an initial rating of 50 percent, but no higher. The issue of service connection for functional and neurological impairments as secondary to the lumbar spine disability is remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's February 2022 examination report did not provide a retrospective opinion regarding the lumbar spine disability, which was requested by the Board in November 2021. As such, the issue of service connection for functional and neurological impairments as secondary to the lumbar spine disability is remanded.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with multilevel degenerative disc disease, L5-S1 spondylolisthesis and surgical fusion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- January 3, 2023
- Citation
- 23000172
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,990 · Granted: 35% (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 23000172.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development as there was not substantial compliance with previous remand directives.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the evidence is insufficient to make a fully informed decision on the Veteran's claim and remands for further development, including obtaining retrospective range of motion estimates.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain with multilevel degenerative disc disease prior to June 17, 2019 and from June 17, 2019 on. The issues are now pending before the Board.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for his lumbar spine disability due to additional VA treatment records being submitted. The matter will be reconsidered and a new Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) will be issued.
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