Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a cervical spine condition, and a back disability due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran indicating his disabilities are related to his service in the Persian Gulf. The VA will verify the Veteran's service locations and obtain any missing VA treatment records. They will also provide appropriate notice regarding the claims of service connection for undiagnosed illnesses.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral shoulder, elbow, cervical myositis with chronic pain, lumbar spine, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lower extremity radiculopathy. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or disease that caused these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence.

The Board denied service connection for low back disability, neck disability, bilateral knee disability, residuals of TBI, and colon cancer as the evidence did not support a link to service.

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

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar and cervical spines have been remanded for further evaluation due to changes in range of motion.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine/neck disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his military service and does not meet the criteria for direct service connection.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for a low back disability was denied. His claims for increased ratings for cervical spine DJD and left leg scar were also denied.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted service connection. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, rated at 60 percent, is denied an increased rating. The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the effective date for service connection of his lumbar spine disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine radiculopathy and bilateral upper extremity neuropathy, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to military service or radiation exposure.

The Veteran's appeals have been withdrawn, and the claims are dismissed.

The Board has remanded the claims due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 30 percent, effective April 9, 2013. The Board found that the symptoms most nearly approximated forward flexion of the cervical spine to 15 degrees or less, which meets the criteria for a 30 percent rating under the General Rating Formula.

The Board has determined that there is not enough evidence to support the Veteran's claim of service connection for a cervical spine disability, including degenerative joint disease. The Veteran's current condition does not meet the criteria for service connection as it cannot be linked to his military service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including those for lumbar spondylosis and degenerative changes of the right shoulder joint. The Board also ordered a remand for verification of the Veteran’s dates of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). Additionally, the Board requested additional VA treatment records and scheduled the Veteran for a sinus examination to assess his claimed disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical disc disease was reopened and granted. The claims for increased ratings for lumbar disc disease, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy were remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is related to her active service and granted service connection for this condition. The cervical spine and right leg disabilities are remanded due to missing records.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's cervical spine disability due to inadequate previous examinations.

The Veteran's left foot disorder, cervical spine DDD and spondylosis, and psychiatric disorders (depression and PTSD) are all remanded for further review. The cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent prior to May 9, 2017, and the rating remains at 20 percent thereafter.

The Board has remanded the case to issue an SOC on whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a cervical spine disability, including various conditions.