The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent, but not higher, for lumbar spondylolisthesis with IVDS based on the Veteran's reported pain and functional limitations.
The deciding factor: The September 2024 VA examiner estimated forward flexion limited to 55 degrees with a combined total motion of 175 degrees, which supports a higher 20 percent evaluation under the general rating formula for diseases and injuries of the spine.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spondylolisthesis with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- February 12, 2025
- Citation
- 25002091
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · 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 25002091.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection was granted on October 20, 2020. The effective date is set at April 28, 2014.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating higher than 10 percent for lumbar spondylolisthesis with IVDS is denied. The claims for initial ratings of 10 percent for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities are granted.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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