Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2006

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination and additional VCAA notice.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed disabilities are not related to his military service and have denied all of his claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current neck, thoracic spine, lumbosacral spine, right knee, right shoulder, right hip, right calf, or right foot disability. The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not interfere with normal employment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical spondylosis and left shoulder impingement syndrome with capsulitis are not service-connected, as they are not causally related to his military service or to his service-connected disabilities. The increased rating claims for cervical strain and left shoulder strain have also been denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's chronic cervical spine disorder is service-connected, based on continuity of symptomatology and degenerative changes identified within one year after his retirement from service.

The Board found that the veteran's current cervical spine disorder is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, and hip disorders as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to his service-connected condition.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increased ratings on multiple service-connected conditions, including trigeminal neuralgia, left facial paralysis, cervical spine disability, dizziness and loss of balance, and loss of sense of taste.

The Board has determined that the effective dates for service connection of the veteran's claimed disabilities cannot be earlier than March 22, 2001 as no claims were received prior to this date.

The veteran's cervical spine and knee disabilities are granted with a 10% rating, while his left shoulder disability is service-connected. Right ear hearing loss is also found to be service-connected.

The VA denied increased evaluations for the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spines, as they do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for neck/cervical and mid-back/thoracic spine disorders, finding no persuasive medical nexus evidence linking these conditions to her military service.

The veteran's claim for an extension of a temporary total disability evaluation was granted by the Board, as he required convalescence following surgery on his service-connected left wrist arthritis and cervical spine degenerative disc disease.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied as there is no current evidence of the claimed disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran's cervical disc disease and tendonitis of the right wrist were both aggravated by service, resulting in a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's increased rating claims for post-traumatic headaches and residuals of a neck injury, finding that the evidence did not support an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine condition and left shoulder disability, including as secondary to PTSD. The preponderance of the evidence does not establish a link between any current disabilities and service.

The Board found that the veteran's cervical spine condition does not meet or approximate criteria for a higher evaluation, thus denying an increased rating. The current 20 percent evaluation remains in effect.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations and VCAA notice.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected cervical strain, finding that it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on current medical evidence.