Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service connection claims for left and right shoulder disabilities, thoracolumbar spine disability, and cervical spine disability have been denied as there is no evidence of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether his claimed conditions are of the type that should have been documented in service records and were not. The Veteran is required to undergo new VA examinations to address these issues.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to missing service treatment records and incomplete National Guard service information.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of a headache disability, and the right shoulder disability was rated at 20 percent, which is the highest rating available under VA regulations.

The Veteran's service-connected arthritis of the lumbar and cervical spine, as well as his right ankle disability, costochondritis, sinusitis, and headaches have been granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left foot fracture, bilateral hand disorder, cervical spine disability, and left shoulder strain have all been denied. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for lumbar disc herniation has also been denied.,Service connection was not granted due to lack of evidence of current disabilities or a link between the claimed conditions and service.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine and lumbar spine, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his in-service injuries. Service connection was denied for headaches, an acquired psychiatric disorder (likely depression or PTSD), and a sleep disorder.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 60 percent for his cervical spine disability was denied as there is no evidence of ankylosis of the spine throughout the period of appeal.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a back disability, but denied all other claims.,PTSD was previously denied and is not being reconsidered.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability to include recurring PVCs has been reopened, but the Board finds that further development is needed as there are insufficient current medical records to determine if he currently has a heart disability related to his service. Other claims have also been remanded due to need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right hand condition, refractive error and blepharitis (vision problems), bilateral hearing loss, cervical spine condition, lumbar spine condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, left hip condition, right hip condition, and psychiatric disorder. The decision also remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete service medical records and a need for additional examination.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted service connection. The right shoulder and left knee disabilities are granted increased ratings.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's skeletal deterioration and his service-connected rib fracture. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for herniated thoracolumbar disk, herniated cervical disk, and Parkinson's disease due to service connection. The issues are related to exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange), radiation exposure, and in-service injuries.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the preponderance of evidence is against a finding of current disabilities in some cases (neck).,Service connection has been granted for sleep apnea and aggravation by psychiatric disability.

Service connection is granted for headaches, PTSD, and low back strain. Other issues are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions, including migraine headaches, OSA, IBS, TBI, cervical spine disability, and osteoarthritis of the left knee. The effective dates for these issues are not addressed in this decision.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability was granted a 30 percent rating effective September 16, 2015.,The Veteran is also granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.