Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2019

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence and need for additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's cervical strain is related to her service-connected right shoulder condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection are being remanded due to the addition of new VA treatment records. The case will be reviewed by the AOJ before a decision is made.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis, finding that it was caused by an in-service event.

Service connection is denied for tinnitus, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, neck disorder, right shoulder disorder, and back disorder.,The Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings was denied. The hypertension with renal insufficiency and cervical spine degenerative arthritis with spur formation were both found to not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, finding that these conditions are related to active service.

The Board has denied service connection for a cervical spine disability and remanded the issue of service connection for PTSD. The Veteran is entitled to a new VA examination to address his claims.

The Veteran withdrew his claim for an increased rating of cervical strain, which was previously granted with a 20% disability rating effective September 30, 2015. The appeal is dismissed as the Veteran requested to withdraw his case.

The appeal for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus is dismissed. Headaches are not productive of prostrating attacks and do not warrant a compensable rating. Service connection for left knee strain and right knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of such conditions during service or related to service. The Veteran's current right knee disability is remanded due to the lack of a diagnosis in the medical records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of November 5, 2015, for the grant of service connection for cervical spine spondylosis with degenerative arthritis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine, cervical spine, and bilateral hip disabilities are not service connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after service. The right hand/wrist disorder is also not service connected due to lack of continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back and neck disabilities, finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for cervical, lumbar, thoracic spine disabilities and a right hip disability due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's claims are not yet decided.

The Board has ordered the AOJ to issue a Statement of the Case for the radiculopathy issues, specifically left lower extremity. The AOJ is also instructed to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed radiculopathy in both lower extremities.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical records and a VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a rating of 50% effective December 6, 2019. Service connection for the neck disability is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for thoracic and lumbar spine disorder, as well as cervical spine disorder. The VA will need to provide additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions based on the Veteran's in-service injuries and her continuous symptoms since separation from service.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed bilateral foot, right knee, neck, and back disabilities as there was no evidence of a current disability that was incurred in or due to his time in service.

The Veteran's service-connected DDD of the lumbar spine is found to have caused his ED, arthritis of the cervical spine, and right upper extremity nerve conditions. The effective date for these grants of service connection is December 19, 2018.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected cervical spine degenerative disc disease is being remanded due to a pre-decisional error in considering the impact of his lumbar spine medications on his cervical spine symptoms.