Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2017

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities due to outstanding VA treatment records, a need for a VA examination, and other procedural matters.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his request for a hearing and appeal by his representative.

The Board denied an extraschedular rating for the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disorder and right cervical radiculopathy, finding that the available schedular ratings adequately reflected his disability picture.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, including associated radiculopathy of the upper extremities, is rated at 20 percent. The TDIU claim was granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck and right bicep disabilities are not related to service or caused by his service-connected conditions, thus denying both claims.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain medical records and arrange for a VA examination to determine the current diagnosis of any cervical spinal disorder found to be present, as well as whether it is at least as likely as not related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board denied an increased rating for the Veteran's cervical spine disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for VA examinations to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed cervical and lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a cervical spine disorder that was caused by his service or is aggravated by a service-connected disability, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, and right shoulder are related to her active military service.,Reasoning: The March 2015 VA examiner opined that the Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, and right shoulder were at least as likely as not related to her military service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for cervical spine disability, lumbar disability other than service-connected lumbar strain, bilateral hip disability, residuals of dysentery including GERD and IBS, chronic skin infections, and chronic vaginal infections have been granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease (IHD) has been granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents while in the Republic of Vietnam.,Service connection for IHD is established, but his cervical spine disability remains at a 20 percent rating.

The Veteran's cervical strain was initially rated noncompensable prior to June 1, 2016. As of June 1, 2016, the disability is rated at 10 percent. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board granted service connection for CAD with atherosclerotic heart disease and assigned a 60 percent rating effective March 7, 2016. The Veteran's current level of disability is characterized by a workload of greater than 3 METs but less than 5 resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness or syncope.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left shoulder, right shoulder, and neck disabilities did not have their onset during service or are otherwise directly related to his military service. The VA examiner opined that these conditions are less likely as not caused by or aggravated by any service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of compliance with its prior remand directives. The Veteran's cervical spine disability is being reviewed again for service connection.

The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative disc disease is not service connected as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease. The effective date for the grant of service connection for depressive disorder has been set at August 9, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck disability is related to his active service, and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated as zero percent disabling, and his headaches associated with cervical disc disease are not separately compensable.,The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.