Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2006

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease (DDD) as there is no evidence of a relationship between his current condition and his military service.

The VA has granted a 20 percent rating for the veteran's degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine beginning September 26, 2003.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA orthopedic examination to determine if the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine was initially manifested during service or aggravated by a service-connected condition.

The Board found no evidence of a cervical spine injury or disability during service and concluded that the current cervical spine disabilities are not related to active duty. The veteran's claim for service connection was denied.

The Board is remanding the case due to new evidence received by the veteran, and the RO must review this evidence and readjudicate the claims with consideration of this additional information.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back and neck disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during his active duty service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board denied service connection for back, neck, and left great toe disabilities as there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The veteran's claims were based on direct service connection.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling the veteran for VA examinations to assess his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability is of such severity as to preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment, and therefore grants a TDIU.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected chronic cervical spine strain, which was previously rated at 20 percent and later changed to 30 percent effective August 11, 2004.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for his service-connected cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating under either the former or current schedular criteria.

The veteran's appeal for increased ratings on his cervical spine and left shoulder disabilities has been withdrawn. The initial rating of 20 percent for each condition remains in effect.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased initial evaluations for chronic lumbar strain and chronic cervical spine strain, finding that his conditions did not warrant higher ratings based on current medical evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of cervical spine or bilateral hip disability, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board found no evidence to support the veteran's claim that his current cervical spine disability is related to service or a service-connected condition, and thus denied the claim.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder and cervical spine disabilities in August 2000, finding no evidence of a relationship to service. New evidence received since then does not establish such a relationship.,New evidence supports the claim that the veteran's cervical spine disability is related to his military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The right knee disability was rated at 30 percent prior to August 2, 2005 and 60 percent commencing on that date. The cervical spine disability remains at 20 percent. The low back disability is rated at 10 percent prior to August 2, 2005 and 20 percent thereafter. The foot disability continues at 10 percent.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic disability related to service for the veteran's low back and cervical spine disorders, thus denying his claims.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and a right hip condition. However, the Board found insufficient evidence to establish service connection for any of these conditions.

The veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of injuries to the cervical and thoracic segments of his spine is being remanded due to inadequate VCAA notice, unclear medical evidence regarding current disability and etiology, and need for a new VA examination.