Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2013

The Board found that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is not related to service, and denied his claim for service connection. The neck/cervical spine issue will be remanded for further examination.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of entitlement to service connection for a left arm disability, a left wrist disability, and a left finger/hand disability prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's left lower extremity disability is currently rated at 40 percent, effective June 15, 2007. The earlier effective date for the grant of a 40 percent evaluation for this disability has been granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for loss of control of bodily function, diabetes mellitus, and myofacial cervical and lumbar spine syndrome. The decision found that there was no direct relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that further development is required for the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a thoracic spine fracture, and neck cervical spondylosis with degenerative disc disease. The case is REMANDED to obtain additional evidence, schedule VA examinations, and readjudicate the issues.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The criteria for an increased rating under the applicable diagnostic codes were not met.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and status post cervical fusion residuals were denied as there was no evidence to support a higher rating based on the current manifestations.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine with lumbar spondylosis is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is found to be related to his active service.,The Veteran's occipital neuralgia manifested by headaches, as secondary to degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, is found to be related to his active service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a cervical spine disorder, which he claims was caused by an injury in May 2000. The case has been remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and a VA examination.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities that are secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee conditions. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain updated treatment records, schedule the Veteran for VA examinations, and determine the current severity of his bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for herniated discs of the cervical spine with degenerative joint disease was previously denied in March 1972 and again in August 2001. The current appeal is about a rating increase for his lumbar spine disability and TDIU prior to December 2, 2010.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine disorder is related to his active duty military service, and therefore grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the representative withdrew it prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right shoulder bursitis, left shoulder bursitis, thoracolumbar spine disability, sinusitis, eosinophilic granule residuals, and cervical diskectomy with mild loss of range of motion, have resulted in a combined rating of 70 percent as of May 1, 2009. The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities precluding him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic sleep disorder, initial compensable rating for left knee disability, initial rating in excess of 10 percent for cervical spine disability, and initial compensable rating for bursitis in the left shoulder were denied. The claim for headaches was partially granted with a 10% rating prior to April 13, 2012, and a 30% rating from that date onward.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to the need for a videoconference hearing.

The Board found that a cervical spine disability was not incurred in active military service and denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected cervical spine, lumbar spine, hiatal hernia with GERD, and right foot plantar fasciitis are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of outstanding treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disorder and whether it is caused or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disorder. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated based on all evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the Veteran is not entitled to a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for his service-connected tension headaches.