Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of erectile dysfunction and acid reflux as secondary to service-connected disabilities, including medications taken therefor. The Veteran is also seeking an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for cervical spondylosis with degenerative arthritis and a compensable evaluation for chronic diarrhea.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran is required to undergo new VA examinations and obtain adequate medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU are remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations. The issues include arthritis of the body, hip replacement, and TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding his claimed disabilities. The VA is instructed to obtain additional evidence and provide further examinations as needed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including cervical spine, shoulder/arm, hand, hip, knee/leg, ankle, and foot disabilities. The issues are related to undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including cervical spine disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and cervicogenic headaches. The Veteran will be provided with additional examinations to assess the severity of his conditions and determine their impact on his ability to work.

The Board denied service connection for low back and neck disabilities due to a lack of current disability evidence, finding that the Veteran did not have a diagnosed condition related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for TBI, right knee with arthritic changes, right ankle disability with arthritic changes, fractured right foot 1st and 4th toes with arthritis, back disability to include fractures and arthritis, and neck disability to include fractures and arthritis.,The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of TBI or any other condition related to service.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for a cervical spine condition was denied. The Board found that the evidence received since the October 2013 decision is not new and material, thus denying the reopening of the claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back condition to include a herniated disc of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine as secondary to his service-connected costochondritis of the right ribs. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the Veteran’s current back conditions to his military service or to his service-connected costochondritis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequacies in prior VA examinations and the need for updated evaluations.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for various conditions such as cervical spine disability, fibromyalgia, bilateral knee and hip disabilities, sleep apnea, headaches, and digestive disorders. The reasons for these remands include insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the claimed conditions and the Veteran's military service.,The issues of service connection are being addressed due to a lack of sufficient evidence or reasoning provided by VA examiners in previous examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issues regarding sleep apnea, left inguinal hernia, sinus or respiratory disability, cervical spine disorder, numbness in the left hand/fingers, and left eye surgery. The right inguinal hernia with scar issue is also being remanded.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is currently rated at 20 percent since January 31, 2016. The Veteran's cervical radiculopathy has not been found to warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has determined that there is insufficient evidence to grant a rating in excess of 100 percent for PTSD and denied entitlement to a temporary total evaluation due to treatment requiring convalescence. The issues of service connection for various conditions remain on appeal.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical strain with degenerative joint disease, lumbar back pain with degenerative changes, left upper extremity numbness and pain, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy as the evidence does not support a nexus to active service.

The Veteran's appeal regarding his claims for service connection for chronic pain syndrome, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical spine posttraumatic osteoarthritis, and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with posttraumatic lumbar osteoarthritis has been withdrawn. The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was denied.,The Veteran's appeal regarding his claims for service connection for migraines has also been withdrawn. His petition to reopen his claims for cervical spine posttraumatic osteoarthritis and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease with posttraumatic lumbar osteoarthritis have been granted, but the issues of entitlement to service connection for hypertension and migraines remain pending.

The Veteran's service-connected neck disability was granted an initial evaluation of 30 percent, effective May 9, 2019. The low back disability received a grant of increased rating to 40 percent, effective the entire period on appeal.

The Board previously denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability, GERD, erectile dysfunction, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy. The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) has remanded these issues due to errors in the Board’s decision-making process.,The CAVC found that the Board failed to account for the Veteran's combat status and did not make a finding regarding whether his lay statements were sufficient to establish service connection for his cervical spine disability. The CAVC also noted that the delay in diagnosis of his GERD symptoms after service was unclear.

The Board has granted service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine and arthritis of the left shoulder as subsequent manifestations of already service-connected arthritis.