Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2018

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a bilateral shoulder or neck disability, including bursitis. The case is remanded to determine if these disabilities are related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the issues of service connection for a cervical spine disorder, left knee disability, and hypertension.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disability, claimed as secondary to a left knee disability; a cervical spine disability; and an asthma/COPD disability. The Board found that there was no evidence showing cause or aggravation in service but rather that the evidence showed post-service injuries.,The Board also denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that there was no current disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records review.

The Veteran's service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, heart disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, cervical spine disability, low back/lumbar spine disability, right shoulder, knee, ankle, and/or foot disabilities, and psychiatric disorder have all been denied as there is no evidence of these conditions in service or within one year post-service. The Veteran's assertions regarding his current diagnoses are not credible.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to service-connected PTSD, but denied service connection for a neck disability due to lack of evidence linking it to military service or the Veteran's service-connected lumbar strain.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities as the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and in-service parachute jumps.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for lower back disability, neck disability, and dental disability due to incomplete records and inadequate examination findings. The Veteran will need to provide authorization for private medical records and updated VA outpatient records. Additionally, he will require a VA spine examination to address his in-service injury and current diagnoses, as well as a VA dental examination to clarify any current diagnoses and their etiologies.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is granted as service-connected. The cervical strain rating is granted at 30% effective June 18, 2018. Separate ratings are granted for right and left upper extremity radiculopathies.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's neck disorder and an initial rating of 20 percent for his degenerative joint disease status-post lumbar fusion. The appeal is remanded to determine the Veteran's employability status.

The Veteran's cervical spine strain is remanded due to incomplete records and the need for a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete records, particularly from the Veteran's National Guard service and his active duty periods. The case will be returned after further development.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder, neck, left knee, right knee, and left arm disabilities as there is no evidence of current disability or in-service injury that caused the conditions.,Service connection was not granted due to lack of continuity of symptomatology from service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD with depression, a headache disability, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine are granted. The claim for residuals of a cervical spine injury is reopened but denied due to lack of evidence showing current disability.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that the current disability did not have its onset during or as a result of service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for right and left knee disabilities, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability have been granted. However, the criteria for service connection were not met for cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities.

Your claims for service connection for a right shoulder disorder, right hand disorder, lumbar disorder, left-sided weakness, and left knee disorder have been dismissed.,Your previously denied claims of service connection for spina bifida occulta C6, C7 and TI and cervical spine disorder, as well as left-sided weakness and left knee disorder are now reopened.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during or were related to military service.,Specifically, there was no medical evidence showing an in-service onset of any of these conditions. The Veteran's STRs showed only one incident of low back pain treated with no further follow-up.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to increased ratings for his cervical spine, left knee, and right knee disorders due to new evidence potentially being available.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including left hip disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, traumatic brain injury (TBI), right shoulder disability, low back disability, and cervical spine disability. The remand requires additional examinations to address functional impairment and provide opinions on whether these disabilities are related to active duty service.