Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2018

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including left hand contusion, cervical spine disability, lumbar and thoracic spine disabilities, bilateral foot disabilities, sleep apnea, and bronchitis. The reasons given were that there was no current evidence to support these claims or a link between the conditions and service.

The Veteran's non-service connected disabilities, including hypertension and cervical spine injury, have not prevented him from obtaining and maintaining a full-time job for the past five to six years. Therefore, his disability does not meet the criteria for entitlement to non-service-connected pension.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine disability and remanded the issue of service connection for residuals from a traumatic brain injury.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claim of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder was also denied.,Service connection could not be established as the Veteran did not have a current disability that began during or was related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of major depressive disorder and remanded his lower back disability claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability is reopened.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, to include degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the cervical spine, is reopened.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include depression, is reopened. The Veteran was granted entitlement to service connection for major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. However, the appeals for other conditions remain pending as they require further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck disability is not service-connected as it did not occur during his military service and there is no medical evidence linking the current condition to an in-service injury.

The Board has decided that further development is needed to determine the Veteran's service connection claims for cervical spine disability, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, and right leg disability. The VA will obtain relevant medical records and conduct examinations to assess these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection related to his lumbar spine, cervical spine, right ankle, hearing loss, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, chronic urination (neurogenic bladder), and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral feet require further examination and opinion due to inadequate previous examinations.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted and she is assigned a 40 percent rating for her lumbar spine disability. The decision also grants separate ratings of 10 percent for radiculopathy in the left lower extremity.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative disc disease and punctured nerve are related to his service-connected migraine headaches, but more evidence is needed for a final decision.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder, lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine disabilities as there was no evidence of a relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for back, neck, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a lack of VA treatment records. The Veteran is asked to provide more specific information about his private and VA treatment from the 1980s and 1990s.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient rationale in previous opinions regarding whether the Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are aggravated by his service-connected left shoulder and right knee conditions, respectively.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative disc disease is related to her service, granting her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's right elbow/upper extremity disorder and cervical radiculopathy affecting the right upper extremity are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his military service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine and thoracolumbar spine disorders, as well as a bilateral knee disorder. The AOJ is required to verify any periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA that are not already confirmed, and then schedule the veteran for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his spinal and knee conditions.

Right knee osteoarthritis is granted as secondary to service-connected right ankle fracture with degenerative joint disease.,Tinnitus is granted as incurred in service.,Cervical disorder is granted as secondary to service-connected thoracolumbar strain.,Shortened right leg is granted as secondary to service-connected right ankle fracture.,Sinusitis is granted as incurred in service.

The Board has denied service connection for trigger finger of the right middle finger due to lack of a nexus between the current condition and an in-service injury. The cervical spondylosis issue is remanded as there is insufficient opinion regarding whether it is aggravated by the service-connected right shoulder joint disability.