Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the decision to resume VA disability compensation benefits, effective December 1, 2008, was correct as the Veteran provided a valid current address.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes, heart disability, right knee and back disabilities, neck disability, psychiatric disability, and low energy, have been denied.,A compensable rating of 10 percent has been granted for hypertension.

The Veteran's chronic muscular neck pain, status post cervical strain, is currently rated at 20 percent and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on current evidence.

The Board has ordered a new examination to determine if the Veteran's cervical spine, lumbar spine, right hip and right knee disabilities are related to his service. The case is being remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board denied reopening of the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 for degenerative disc disease of the cervical and lumbar spine, fibromyalgia, and myositis due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected DDD of the lumbar spine and cervical spine have been increased to 20 percent disabling, effective from February 29, 2012. The claim for TDIU is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for issuance of an SOC and further development, including review of the issues related to service connection. The claim for the left leg radiculopathy will be deferred until the intertwined issues are resolved or prepared for appellate consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are related to his military service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. The VA examiner concluded that these conditions were more likely than not caused by injuries sustained during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him so helpless as to need regular aid and attendance of another person, nor does he require assistance in attending to the ordinary hazards of daily living. The Board finds that there is insufficient evidence to grant special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unemployable due to his chronic fatigue syndrome, spinal stenosis, splenectomy, and cervical spine degenerative joint disease. A TDIU rating is granted.

The Veteran's left knee chondromalacia has been rated at 20 percent since November 1992. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the service connection claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left arm, shoulder, elbow, hand, and wrist disabilities, to include cervical spine disc disease with radiculopathy, are not etiologically related to his active service. The Veteran does not have a current free-standing diagnosis of a sleep disorder.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, a cervical spine disability, and an eye disorder. The other issues have been remanded due to incomplete development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities are not related to service and have denied his claims for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's cervical spine disability is at least as likely as not etiologically related to his military service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of her service-connected low back disability and completion of a VA Form 21-8940 (Veteran's Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability). The TDIU claim is intertwined with the claim for a higher rating for the low back disability.

The Veteran's initial ratings for cervical spine strain with degenerative spondylosis were denied as his condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating at any point during the appeal period.