Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD is denied.,Claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, left lower extremity and radiculopathy, middle radicular group, left upper extremity are denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for cervical spine disorder and OSA due to insufficient medical opinions. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is intertwined with these service connection claims.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to his active service.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability and anxiety are related to his service-connected PTSD, but the GERD and Bell’s Palsy are not. The Board has ordered a remand for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that the Veteran's condition did not have its onset during active service or within one year of discharge and was not causally related to any disease, injury, or event during service. The Board also found that her cervical spine disorder was not caused or aggravated by her service-connected mechanical low back syndrome.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a lumbosacral spine disability, cervical spine disability, hearing loss of the left ear, hypertension, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are being remanded due to incomplete information.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus, PTSD, and hearing loss of the right ear are also being remanded.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, liver disability (including hepatitis C), right ankle disability, bilateral knee disability, and cervical spine disability, are remanded due to missing records and incomplete treatment information.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of service connection for a neck disability is remanded due to insufficient evidence in the record, including incomplete service treatment records and lack of medical nexus opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension. The remaining issues of service connection for a cervical condition, bilateral medial brachium condition, and upper extremity nerve disorders, as well as OSA are remanded due to the need for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied service connection for a neck condition and denied an increased evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The Veteran's current conditions were not incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has denied service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and a cervical spine disorder, finding no evidence of chronic disorders during or since service. The claim for episodic dizziness is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.,A compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is also remanded as there are histories indicating an increase in severity since the last VA examination.

The Veteran's spondylosis cervical spine, recurrent lumbar strain, right knee instability, and left knee limitation of motion have been granted service connection. The Veteran has also received a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are granted for left knee degenerative arthritis and erectile dysfunction, both secondary to his service-connected conditions. The other claims remain denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and a higher rating for PTSD due to incomplete records. The Veteran seeks service connection for a left hand disability, including carpal tunnel syndrome and degenerative arthritis, while also seeking a higher rating for his PTSD.

The Veteran has been rendered unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to service-connected disabilities including PTSD, cervical radiculopathy, lumbar strain with degenerative joint disease, and tinnitus. The Board grants the TDIU.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals of the initial ratings assigned for various service-connected disabilities, including Traumatic Brain Injury, Cervical Spine Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Lumbar Spine Disability, and others.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tension headaches and an increased rating for cervical spine annular disc tears at C4-C5 and C5-C6 are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection has been reopened and granted for cataracts due to diabetes mellitus. The Board also found that the Veteran's headache disability is related to his active service, but remanded other issues including sinusitis, emphysema, COPD, gallbladder condition, Crohn’s disease, pancreatitis, acid reflux, stroke residuals, arthritis, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine, diabetic retinopathy, tinnitus, hypertension, peripheral vascular/arterial disease (PVD/PAD) of both lower extremities, and erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim, are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of lumbar and cervical spine disorders, expressing satisfaction with current disability ratings.