Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ulnar nerve disability, and cervical spine disability, each to include as due to undiagnosed illness, should be remanded for further development. Specifically, a new VA Gulf War Guidelines examination is required.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities were denied. The cervical spine disability was rated at 30 percent, while the thoracolumbar spine disability was rated at 10 percent prior to January 25, 2010, and 20 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including additional examinations and consideration of whether referral to the appropriate official under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) for extraschedular consideration is warranted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected conditions, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher evaluations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and clarification of his current employment status.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine disability and left upper extremity neurologic disability are at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected thoracic spine disability, thus granting these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a videoconference hearing at her last-identified address. The Veteran has not provided any updated address, and VBA should ensure that notice of the hearing is sent only if confirmed as her current residence.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, as well as a cervical spine disability. The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for various disabilities, including psychiatric disability, erectile dysfunction, chronic labyrinthitis, pansinusitis, headache disability, low back disability, neck disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, and bilateral hip disability. The Veteran's claims are pending with the RO via the Appeals Management Center in Washington, D.C.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for osteoporosis of the left femur and left radius, as well as cervical spondylosis, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Board found no evidence of a cervical spine, lumbar spine, or right knee disability during service and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine, right knee, left knee, left shoulder, and right hip disabilities due to lack of clear and unmistakable evidence that these conditions were aggravated by military service or preexisted service.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for cervical spine DJD from September 23, 2002 is being remanded to the RO for additional development.

The Veteran's claim for earlier effective dates was denied as his application for benefits was received by VA on January 18, 2007, which is the date he contacted the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) office. The one-year deadline for filing a claim after separation from service has expired.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic cervical spine disability, including C-7 burst fracture residuals with quadriplegia. The most persuasive medical opinion evidence did not support a link between the June 7, 1988 injury and the current condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and compensation under the provision of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 were granted, with the exception that his claim for cervical strain was denied.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple claims for increased ratings and effective date determinations related to his service-connected disabilities. The Board has ordered additional development, including obtaining medical records and clarifying the application of certain regulations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability was received on September 9, 1992. The effective date of the grant of service connection is set at April 28, 2009.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed traumatic brain injury, cervical spine disorder, and chronic migraines are not related to his military service.,Service connection was denied for all three conditions as they were determined to be unrelated to active duty.

The Board finds that the Veteran has service connection for sinusitis, a cervical spine disability, and bilateral leg pain. The evidence supports these findings.