Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2005

The Board found that the veteran's current thoracic and cervical spine disorders are not related to service, and his bilateral hearing loss is not due to noise exposure in service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The veteran's left forehead scar is rated at a 10 percent rating, effective as of the date of the grant of service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, migratory arthralgias of the shoulders, hands, and cervical spine, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The Board found that these conditions are not related to active duty service.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected cervical spine fracture does not warrant an increased rating beyond 40 percent.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, finding that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen his claim for residuals of a cervical spine injury. Service connection was also denied for neurological disability of the left hand and soft tissue sarcoma of the left arm, both secondary to Agent Orange exposure.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected Crohn's disease, cervical spine degenerative joint disease, and bilateral sacroiliac joint changes were denied. The RO found that the evidence did not support higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The veteran is seeking service connection for a cervical spine condition that he claims was caused by ionizing radiation exposure during his military service. The claim will be remanded to obtain additional medical records and verify the veteran's service history.

The veteran's claimed disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, and the initial rating for his right hand disability was denied.

The Board finds that the veteran's current cervical spine disability is likely due to a traumatic event during his active service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the veteran's cervical spine fracture and related disabilities were not incurred due to willful misconduct, thus denying service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a disability evaluation in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar and cervical spine, finding that his disabilities did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The veteran's cervical spine disability is not service-connected.,Major depression was granted service connection effective January 22, 1999. The veteran contends for a higher initial evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether the veteran's current cervical spine condition is related to service.

The veteran's right shoulder disability is not related to his active service, but he has arthritis of the right hand that may be secondary to a service-connected fracture. His neck and back conditions are not shown during or after service, and hypertension is likely due to PTSD.,An additional VA examination is needed to determine if the veteran's current right shoulder disability is related to an injury sustained in service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to VCAA compliance issues and missing medical records.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for cervical spine disability and granted a 40% evaluation for his low back disability. The new evidence includes VA and private medical records, as well as testimony from the veteran.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee disability and cervical spine disability, but granted a 40% rating for low back disability effective from March 1992. The veteran's claim for increased ratings of his postoperative deviated nasal septum with chronic congestion and TDIU remains pending.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the veteran's cervical spondylosis with degenerative joint disease, finding that his disability was manifested by moderate limitation of motion and no evidence of severe cervical spine limitation of motion.

The veteran's claim for increased ratings was denied. The RO assigned a 20 percent rating based on service-connected spondylolisthesis at L5-S1 with secondary myositis of the cervical, dorsal and lumbar paravertebral muscles prior to March 11, 2005.