Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional evidence and conduct an examination, in order to determine if the veteran's cervical spine disability is related to service.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and unverified stressors. The case will be returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has granted an effective date of October 27, 1983 for the award of service connection for right cervical radiculopathy. The veteran's attorney asserts that a letter he wrote to his United States Senator in 1983 should be considered as an informal claim for this benefit.

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 of service connection for dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, cervical dysplasia, and migraine headaches as these conditions are not shown to be related to her active military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, as secondary to his service-connected nasal fracture. The ratings for the residuals of a nasal fracture and bilateral hearing loss were also denied.

The veteran's cervical spine disability and left shoulder Charcot joint are found to be due to service-connected conditions, specifically his syringomyelia of the cervical spine. Service connection is granted for these disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder condition as secondary to right shoulder tendonitis and also denied his request for a higher combined rating, finding that there was no evidence supporting these claims.

The VA determined that the veteran's C1-C2 cervical spinal fusion does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, as it only causes limited range of motion without ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, as well as his GERD with erosive gastritis and esophagitis/Barrett's esophagus, are service-connected.

The veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection were denied. The cervical spine strain, bilateral shoulder disabilities, and tension headaches are not rated higher than the current levels of disability. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were found to be unrelated to service.

The Board has granted increased ratings for the veteran's cervical spondylosis and cervicogenic headaches, with a rating of 30 percent each.

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

The veteran's abdominal scar was granted an effective date of December 30, 1999. The veteran also received a 10 percent evaluation for his postoperative residual abdominal scar as of July 3, 2000, and the RO increased this to January 13, 2003.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to July 14, 2000 for service connection of cervical spine disorder. The decision found that the earliest possible effective date was July 14, 2000.

The Board has determined that a compensable rating for cervical dysplasia is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has determined that there is not sufficient evidence to support the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and cervical spine, with S1 radiculopathy and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has determined that the veteran's neck disorder and right hand disorder were not incurred or aggravated by service, and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine as secondary to a service-connected gunshot wound to the right foot. However, it was denied on the merits. The veteran's bilateral hip disability and bilateral knee disability were also found not to be related to his service-connected gunshot wound to the right foot.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD, a lumbar spine disability, or a cervical spine disability incurred in service. The claims for these conditions are therefore denied.