Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2013

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right knee and left knee disabilities, chest pain, back disability, night sweats, a psychiatric condition (claimed as sleeping problems), cervical spine disability, right shoulder disability, jaw pain, and hearing loss were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or associations with service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current cervical spine disability is unrelated to any injury, disease or other event in service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability and a cervical spine disability, as well as his requests for increased evaluations for right PFPS with limitation of extension and flexion. The appeals were remanded multiple times due to procedural issues.

The Veteran's service connection claims for cervical spine, low back, left and right knee, and left and right ankle disabilities are denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and a neck disability due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during his military service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for lumbosacral spine, cervical spine, and radiculopathy disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding whether his right shoulder dislocation has caused or made worse these conditions.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that an increased rating is not warranted.

Your claims of service connection for cervical spine and shoulder disorders, to include as secondary to a service-connected lumbar spine disability, have been dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for spondylosis of the thoracolumbar spine has been granted. The claims for allergies, hearing loss, glaucoma, and rheumatoid arthritis and/or arthritis of the cervical spine, elbows, wrists, and hips have also been granted with appropriate ratings. Other claims were denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no evidence of a chronic condition or its manifestations during service, and the current conditions are not linked to service.,The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations were also denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine degenerative joint disease with left arm radiculopathy and lumbar spine degenerative joint disease due to a lack of new and material evidence. The claims were previously denied in August 2007, and no new or material evidence was submitted within one year of that decision.

The Board found no evidence of a neck injury or arthritis of the cervical spine during service, and there is insufficient medical evidence to establish a connection between current conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by his representative, resulting in the dismissal of the case.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine and remanded it for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for a medical examination.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) is denied as he does not meet the criteria under VA regulations, specifically failing to have a single service-connected disability rated at 100% and additional disabilities independently ratable at 60%.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation during the appellate period from May 30, 2008 to June 22, 2009.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle injury, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and left hip disability as the conditions are not shown to be related to military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are shown to be productive of an overall disability picture manifested by the Veteran being precluded from working at substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational background beginning August 12, 2003.

The Veteran's cervical spine and bilateral shoulder disabilities are found to be service-connected, with no effective date provided as the appeal is for a grant of benefits.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have current disabilities for which service connection can be granted, specifically a neck disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, or left shoulder disability. The claims were denied.