Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2018

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD has been withdrawn.,The claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for intervertebral disc syndrome (low back disability), stomach disability, esophagus disability, and cervical spine disability are remanded for further development.,The Veteran's appeal for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for residuals of a left total knee replacement is remanded.,The Veteran's appeal for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for anxiety disorder prior to February 27, 2017, and in excess of 50 percent thereafter is remanded.,The Veteran's appeal for entitlement to a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased evaluation for his cervical spine disability and entitlement to TDIU due to service connected disabilities. The AOJ is instructed to obtain VA treatment records, schedule a VA examination, and refer the claims to the Director of Compensation and Pension Services for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a stroke, cervical spine disorder, right arm disorder, traumatic brain injury (TBI), headaches, and cognitive impairment/memory loss due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for clothing allowances were denied as the topical anti-inflammatory cream and back brace did not meet the criteria for a clothing allowance under VA regulations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for lung cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, atelectasis of the left lower lobe, and left cervical radiculitis were all denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support these conditions or their relationship to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical and thoracic spine, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, recurrent sinusitis, and diverticulosis have all been granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability, left knee disability, and sleep disability due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's sinusitis claim is also remanded as the last VA examination was conducted in May 2012.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck disability is not etiologically related to active service, as a chronic neck disability was not present in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service discharge. The most probative evidence does not relate the Veteran's neck disability to his active service.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted an increased rating to 20 percent, effective from March 18, 2016. Service connection for cervicogenic headaches, secondary to the service-connected cervical spine disability, is also granted.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for his right and left shoulder disabilities, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, bilateral hand numbness (or carpal tunnel syndrome), and bilateral hand eczema. The remand requests that a new VA examination be scheduled for each of these conditions to provide opinions on whether they are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for back and cervical spine disabilities have been granted. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination.

The Veteran's initial increased ratings for lumbosacral facet arthritis with thoracolumbar DDD and cervical spine DDD have been denied as her conditions do not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed right wrist, cervical spine, lower back, bilateral knee, and right ankle disorders as there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, radiculopathy, muscle loss in upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy in lower extremities, and carpal tunnel syndrome. The Veteran's current conditions are not related to his active service.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, radiculopathy, muscle loss in upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy in lower extremities, and carpal tunnel syndrome. The Veteran's current conditions are not related to his active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his service-connected left and right knee disabilities have been dismissed as he withdrew them prior to the decision. The Board also granted entitlement to individual unemployability (TDIU) due to multiple service-connected conditions preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for cervical and thoracic spine disorders on a secondary basis only, as the Veteran's lumbar spine disability did not cause or aggravate these conditions. The Board also denied service connection for radiculopathy of the bilateral upper extremities on a secondary basis only, as it was determined that this condition is related to his non-service-connected cervical spine disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and a right AC joint disorder, finding that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claims.