Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2011

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional records and conduct further examinations. The issues of whether new and material evidence has been presented to reopen a claim for service connection for HIV and entitlement to an increased rating for depressive disorder are also pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed knee, wrist, shoulder, neck, and lower back disabilities are not related to service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim and granted service connection for his residuals of a neck injury, finding that there is sufficient evidence to link the current condition to his period of active service.

The appellant withdrew her appeal for service connection for narcolepsy, to include as secondary to a service-connected lower back disability. The TDIU claim remains pending.

The Board has determined that additional examinations are necessary to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions, as well as to assess the current severity of her hypertension.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for right shoulder injury, headaches, and spinal injury were denied. The initial evaluations for the right wrist fracture and cervical degenerative disc disease remain at 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal involves claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a cervical spine disorder, and a right upper extremity disorder. The Board has determined that further development is needed to properly adjudicate these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the left knee disability claim, and that there was no evidence of a current low back or hearing loss disability. Tinnitus and PTSD were also denied.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disability and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that the Veteran's conditions were not caused or aggravated by his service-connected low back disability.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, manifested by labral tear and strain with arthroscopic slap repair, is found to be related to active service. The Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine disc disease and prostate cancer due to herbicide exposure, as well as his claim for an increased rating for lumbar pain, are being remanded for additional development.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen any of the Veteran's service connection claims, including for peripheral neuropathy of the right leg, left leg, elbow, neck, low back, shoulder disabilities, carpal tunnel syndrome, or heart disorder. The claimant's statements regarding abdominal pain are deemed not credible.

The Board has determined that additional VA examinations and medical opinions are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection, increased evaluations, and TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of both wrists, both knees, and cervical spine is not service connected as secondary to his service-connected pulmonary sarcoidosis.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a cervical spine disability, which he claims is related to his service-connected right shoulder disability. The Board has remanded the case for additional development and re-adjudication.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling the Veteran for examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed cervical spine disability, psychiatric disorder, and lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical cord injury with residual hypesthesia and myelopathy to the left upper half of body is currently rated at 30 percent, which approximates a moderate paralysis of the upper radicular group.

The Board found that the Veteran's complaints of foot pain and a chronic neck disability were not related to active service, including as due to an undiagnosed illness. The preponderance of evidence did not support granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current cervical spine and bilateral shoulder disabilities are not related to his military service, including an in-service motor vehicle accident. As such, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing the case.