Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2018

The Veteran's cervical spine DDD was granted a 20% rating from October 2, 2014 to February 15, 2018. The appeal for higher ratings is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to lack of adequate current evidence and need for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability was rated at 40 percent prior to July 16, 2012. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence did not support a TDIU for periods prior to September 1, 2013.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining STRs for his Army Reserves service and an addendum medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of fracture of right clavicle to include cervical strain are currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities, finding no link to active service. The right shoulder disability is remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee and cervical spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Veteran withdrew their appeals for service connection of neck, right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities.

The Veteran's service connection claims for TMJ dysfunction and cervical spine disability were denied. The claim for an initial rating of 10 percent for bilateral foot disability prior to December 15, 2017 was granted, but the claim for a higher rating from that date forward was denied.

The Board has determined that there is at least a 50/50 chance the Veteran's degenerative changes of the cervical spine are related to his military service, and thus grants the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's conditions, particularly clavicle disorder, cervical strain, and asthma. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his current conditions are related to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and a VA examination of his left shoulder disability.

The Board has determined that another remand is necessary to ensure proper evaluations and opinions for the Veteran's claimed osteoarthritis conditions, as well as his right foot bunion with spurring.

The Veteran's claim for a left shoulder disability is granted. The cervical spine disability claim is denied, and the cardiac disability claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability was remanded due to the need for a new VA examination as her previous one did not consider relevant medical evidence and did not include all required range of motion tests.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a traumatic brain injury, increased ratings for neck and PTSD disabilities, and earlier effective date for total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected left leg disability, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's hypertension, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, bilateral shoulder disability, right hip disability, and left hip disability are not service-connected as they did not manifest to a compensable degree within the one-year presumptive period or continuity of symptomatology is not established.,Service connection for a pulmonary/respiratory disability was denied due to lack of evidence linking it to in-service exposure.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical disorder, headaches, left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and a respiratory disorder (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and emphysema) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service connection was not granted as the Veteran did not have a current disability that began during or was otherwise related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations.