Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various forms of arthritis, are related to service. The appeal is granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and bilateral hip disability, as well as his claim for an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction, are all denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar and cervical spine disabilities are not related to his active duty service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine disability and vertigo are not related to his military service. The Veteran's vertigo was not caused, or aggravated by, his service connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability has been rated at 10 percent since June 6, 2008. The rating was increased to 30 percent effective April 29, 2014.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for muscle tension, finding that it is a symptom of her already service-connected cervical spine spondylosis and bilateral shoulder arthritis. The issue of an initial compensable disability rating for acne vulgaris will be addressed in a separate decision.

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of a cervical spine injury is denied as there is no evidence of a neck injury in service or continuity of symptomatology. The Veteran's PTSD warrants staged schedular ratings, with the highest rating (70%) from October 18, 2016.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than May 1, 2010 for additional dependency benefits was denied as no evidence of the birth of his dependent son [redacted] was provided to VA before April 5, 2010.

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and is not related to his service-connected low back disability. As a result, service connection for the cervical spine disability is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical and thoracolumbar spine disabilities did not pre-exist service or manifest during service, and are not otherwise related to active military service. As such, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's claims for neck, hip, and right large toe disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining VA treatment records and providing nexus opinions.

The appellant withdrew his appeals for restoration of service connection for lumbar spine osteoarthritis, cervical spine degenerative arthritis and left lower extremity sensory deficit.

The Veteran's protein deficiency syndrome has been denied. The effective dates for service connection of left knee meniscus tear and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease have also been denied as they are not earlier than the date claims were filed.

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability is not related to his service, and denied both his claim for service connection and his request for an increased rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of a cervical spine disorder and an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability. The evidence did not establish that the Veteran's current cervical spine disorder was related to his active service or due to his service-connected lumbar spine disability. For the lumbar spine disability, the evidence did not show ankylosis, which is required for a higher rating.

The Veteran's upper extremity radiculopathy is found to be secondary to his service-connected cervical spine degenerative disc disease.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and a VA examination for his claimed headaches.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current cervical spine, lumbar spine, right hip, or left hip disorder that is related to his active service or secondary to a service-connected disability. The VA examiner's opinion was based on thorough review of the medical history and provided a reasoned analysis.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including cervical spine and upper extremity conditions, render him unemployable due to his physical limitations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for upper extremity radiculopathy and bilateral leg disorder are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of chronic radiculopathy or a currently diagnosed bilateral leg disorder.