Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2008

The veteran's death was not service-connected, and the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 were not met.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability, right knee disability (claimed as secondary to a service-connected left knee disability), carpal tunnel syndrome, and psychiatric disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete service records and a need to obtain deck logs from the USS Taconic.

The veteran is granted an initial disability evaluation of 20 percent for CTS of the right wrist prior to January 31, 2006 and a rating of 40 percent as of that date.,Service connection was also established for DJD of the cervical spine with an initial rating of 20 percent effective January 31, 2006.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are not caused or aggravated by his service-connected left foot and ankle disability.

The Board has decided to remand the veteran's claims for increased evaluations due to need for additional examinations and consideration of separate ratings.

The veteran's cervical spine disability was rated at 10 percent effective September 26, 2003. The rating is for forward flexion of the cervical spine greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 40 degrees and a combined range of motion greater than 170 degrees.

The veteran's claims for service connection for prostatitis, kidney cysts, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, left knee disability, and headaches were denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a neck disability and left knee disability, finding that there was no competent evidence linking these disabilities to his military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development and re-adjudication due to a change in the Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disorders due to a lack of adequate examination in November 2003, requiring further evaluation.

The Board found no evidence to support the claim that the veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is related to his service-connected left knee disability, and thus denied the claim.

The veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected cervical disc herniation at C3-C4, C5-C6, degenerative disc disease, and cervical myositis is being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder disability is service-connected, but his neck disability cannot be linked to service.

The Board has remanded the case for another medical opinion to determine if the veteran's back and neck disorders are related to his military service, including injuries sustained during active duty training. The claims will be readjudicated based on this new information.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative changes of the cervical spine effective September 26, 1997. The veteran's left ankle disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling.

The veteran's cervical spine disability was rated at 10 percent from August 30, 2001 to March 27, 2002. It was increased to 20 percent from June 1, 2002 to August 14, 2006 and further increased to 30 percent beginning August 15, 2006.

The veteran's cervical spine disability was granted a rating of 30 percent effective August 4, 2007. The lumbar spine disability was granted a rating of 60 percent effective August 4, 2007.

The Board found that the veteran's back disorder and cervical spondylosis were not incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to conflicting medical opinions and a need for additional development of records.