Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2000

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of an upper back injury to include cervical myelopathy and for residuals of a head injury, finding that there was no competent medical nexus evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied both claims for service connection and increased evaluation, finding that the veteran's claim was not well-grounded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear and skin disabilities, as well as applications to reopen claims of service connection for back, neck, and shoulder disabilities. The claim for benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for a back disability caused or aggravated by a myelogram performed in 1966 was also denied.

The veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine results in moderate intervertebral disc syndrome with recurring attacks, warranting a 20 percent disability evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to lack of a formal or informal claim within one year prior to December 3, 1996.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches, degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, and total right knee replacement due to arthritis as secondary to the veteran's service-connected gunshot wound residuals.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic cervical strain is service-connected, but his sinus disability cannot be linked to service.

The Board has determined that there is a medical nexus between the veteran's current degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine and his service, making the claim well grounded. The VA will continue to seek additional records from the Navy medical facility in North Charleston.

The veteran's brain tumor in postoperative status is service-connected, and his tinea pedis was also incurred during active service. The other claims for service connection are not well-grounded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for allergies, asthma, and residuals of cervical dysplasia. The low back disorder was granted with a 10 percent disability rating.

The Board found that the veteran's claims of service connection for allergic rhinitis/sinusitis, abnormal reaction to insect bites, head disability, neck disability, and right foot disability other than residuals of frozen feet are not well grounded due to lack of competent medical evidence showing current disabilities.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine and low back disabilities, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for service connection for alcohol dependence was also denied as a matter of law due to the prohibition on granting such claims based on direct service incurrence.

The Board granted service connection for depression and assigned a 20 percent evaluation for cervical spine disability. The evaluations for thoracic and lumbar spine disabilities were also increased to 10 percent each.

The Board has granted service connection for left leg and low back disorders that are secondary to the veteran's service-connected pelvis disability. Service connection was denied for a cervical spine disorder with headaches.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and consideration of his claims regarding the propriety of his initial 10 percent rating for mechanical low back strain, and his service connection claims for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder.

The Board found that the veteran's disabilities do not permit training to begin within a reasonable period; thus, achievement of a vocational goal is infeasible at this time.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, as well as failure to establish a plausible or capable claim for PTSD and a neck/cervical spine condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for his hearing loss, cervical spine condition, left shoulder arthritis, and right wrist disability. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The VA has determined that the veteran's cervical spine disability, diagnosed as Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.