Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2017

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical and thoracolumbar spine disorders preexisted his second period of active service and were not aggravated by such service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after his military service, and there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service. The cervical spine disorder was also not shown to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations for the Veteran's thoracic and cervical spine disabilities are inadequate, and thus remands the case to obtain new evaluations. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with these issues.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation with consideration of all factors bearing on the issue, to include his employment history and educational and vocational attainment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate opinion regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disability and its relation to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including severe osteoarthritis in his knees and degenerative joint disease of the spine, have rendered him unable to dress, feed himself, or perform daily activities without significant assistance. The Board finds that he meets the criteria for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance from another person.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his election to receive VA pension instead of compensation benefits.

The Board granted service connection for a right knee disability and an initial compensable rating for cervical spondylosis, but denied the claim for a right shoulder disability. The effective date is not specified.

The Veteran's cervical radiculitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and restless leg syndrome were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The Board denied service connection for these conditions as they are considered secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine, left hip, and right hip disabilities are not attributable to service or service-connected conditions. The claims were denied as secondary service connection was not established.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as his service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a higher rating or service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, sinusitis, peptic ulcer disease, radiculopathy of the left upper and lower extremities, degenerative arthritis of the cervical and lumbar spine.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for all service connection claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of right shoulder impingement, and thus cannot establish service connection for this condition. The claims for lumbar stenosis with degenerative disc disease and degenerative changes to the cervical spine are remanded for additional development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a need for an addendum to the VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection on all issues related to her cervical strain, migraine headaches, depressive disorder, bilateral trigeminal nerve disorder, otalgia with dizziness and blurred vision, and scar, residual of trigeminal nerve injury are denied. The disabilities were granted effective from November 21, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate VA examinations and a failure to provide adequate reasons and bases for the denials.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a neck disability, but denied it as new and material evidence was not received. The Veteran's current diagnoses of asbestosis/pleural plaques are related to his in-service asbestos exposure.,Service connection is granted for asbestosis with pleural plaques due to in-service asbestos exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a cervical spine condition was reopened and granted.