Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's cervical spine disability and his service. The Veteran contends that he developed this condition as a result of an in-service incident, but the VA examiner found no documentation of a chronic neck condition in his service records.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a cervical spine disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including bilateral arm, shoulder, hip, knee, neck, and sleep apnea, are not service-connected.

The Board has determined that additional development is required for the claims of service connection for hypertension, cervical spine disorder, and urinary incontinence. The case will be remanded to allow for a VA examination and medical opinions on these issues.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board has ordered a remand to determine if a higher rating is warranted for this condition.

The Veteran's cervical disability, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral shin splints or tibial stress fractures are all granted as service-connected.,Service connection is established for a cervical disability due to active service. The Veteran also has secondary service connection for bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy related to his cervical disability. Service connection is not established for bilateral shin splints or tibial stress fractures.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar and cervical spine degenerative disc diseases, chronic headaches, sinusitis, right hip disability, traumatic brain injury residuals, auditory processing disorder, and psychiatric disabilities. The remand requires obtaining relevant medical records from Social Security Administration and the Okaloosa Vet Center.

Your service connection claims for a low back disability and a neck disability have already been granted. The RO has assigned a 20% evaluation effective February 24, 2014.

The Board has dismissed all issues related to increased ratings on an extraschedular basis for various back and knee conditions as the appellant withdrew his appeal.

The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is granted service connection as secondary to his lumbar spine disability. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, prior to November 17, 2014, was denied an increased evaluation in excess of 60 percent. From November 17, 2014, the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is granted a 100 percent rating.

Service connection for a cervical spine disability and neurological disability of the upper extremities is denied. The case is remanded to determine if service connection can be established for lower extremity radiculopathy.,The claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine since June 20, 2013 is also remanded.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current neck condition is not related to his military service.,The Board granted restoration of a 10% rating for left knee patellofemoral syndrome and right knee patellofemoral syndrome.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates for the service-connected painful surgical scars on his lumbar spine, right knee, and lower neckline have been dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for cervical spine disability has also been dismissed.

The Board has remanded the cases of entitlement to increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine and service connection for chronic neck disability due to procedural issues.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial rating of bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence submitted, including a statement from his chiropractor and statements from fellow service members. The Veteran is also requested to provide records from his Reserve service.

The Board has denied service connection for a neck condition, low back condition, left hip condition, right knee condition, memory problems, and cervical strain. The evidence does not support the presence of these conditions during the pendency of the claim.,There is no current diagnosis or qualifying pain documented in the medical records provided by the Veteran.

The Veteran's disability rating for cervical strain with multilevel degenerative disc disease was restored from 20% to 30% effective September 1, 2018.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his cervical spine disorder has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for a separate rating for cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity has also been denied.

The Board has determined that additional efforts are needed to obtain the Veteran's current address and schedule him for VA examinations. The claims for increased ratings, service connection, and secondary service connection will be remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus the Board has granted entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).