Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee, hip, and spine disabilities due to conflicting medical opinions regarding parachute jumps in service. The claims will be reconsidered on their merits.

The Veteran's current traumatic arthritis of the cervical spine is related to an injury he sustained during ACDUTRA in February 1992. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a cervical spine disability has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The Board has also remanded the case for further examination and development.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a 50 percent rating from September 25, 2013 to prior to July 1, 2015. The claims for right shoulder strain, lumbosacral strain, and cervical strain are reopened.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for anemia and a rating in excess of 30 percent for cervical disc disease was denied. The Board found that the Veteran's anemia is not related to his service, and his cervical spine disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board granted service connection for seborrheic dermatitis and denied the claim for a disorder manifested by pain and tightness in the head and neck, including tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches, IVDS, cervical spondylosis, cervical degenerative disc disease, and cervical spine degenerative arthritis.

The Veteran's cervical strain, previously claimed as a neck condition, is denied service connection. The issue of an increased rating for PTSD with anxiety and mood disorder not otherwise specified (NOS) prior to October 28, 2015 and in excess of 50 percent thereafter is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease and left ankle strain. The claim for a respiratory disability is remanded due to conflicting medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims of tinea versicolor, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability due to incomplete development. Additional VA examinations are needed for tinea versicolor, and Social Security Administration records must be obtained for both cervical and lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection and rating reductions for the Veteran's disabilities. The propriety of the reductions in evaluations for neck disability and bilateral hearing loss is under consideration, as are other claims including those for BPH, erectile dysfunction, gout, pre-diabetes mellitus, eye disability, left ventricular hypertrophy, back pain, tongue growth removal, creatinine kinase elevation, and accessory muscle of the neck.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, including neck and shoulder muscle spasms, is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine its relationship to his in-service motor vehicle accident.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disability, cervical spine disability, and bilateral knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an extension of a temporary total rating based on convalescence due to a myelogram performed in September 2001, finding that it did not meet the criteria set forth in 38 C.F.R. § 4.30.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including spurring of the cervical and lumbar spine, bilateral knee condition with total replacements, left shoulder condition, elbow residuals, and bilateral foot condition. The decision was based on a lack of evidence establishing a relationship between these conditions and active military service.,The Board also denied the Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for bilateral hearing loss and depression, and his claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder tendonitis and cervical spine degenerative disc disease and spondylosis, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's appeals for tinnitus, bladder disability, skin disability, loss of teeth, chronic pain syndrome, blood clot on lungs, hypertension, and permanent incapacity were dismissed. The claims for service connection for left knee and left ankle disabilities are reopened but further development is needed due to the complexity of the issues.

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disability, to include degenerative disc disease. The issue of entitlement to a disability rating greater than 20 percent for a lumbar spine disability is remanded for further development.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of July 29, 2008 for the grant of a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) based on the Veteran's cervical and lumbar disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and left knee disability. The decision also denied an increased rating for tinnitus.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a cervical spine disability and remanded it for further development.