Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has not yet decided whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen each individual claim.,Service connection was granted for tinnitus. The other claims remain pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinion and missing SSA records. The Veteran must be provided a new in-person examination, his SSA records should be obtained, and more comprehensive medical opinion is necessary on remand.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee and spine conditions due to a lack of available service treatment records. The Veteran is requested to provide any additional relevant medical records, and he will be scheduled for VA examinations to assess his claimed conditions.

The Board denied compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for post-operative transhiatal esophagectomy with cervical anastomosis due to a lack of evidence showing additional disability or causation by VA fault.

The Board has granted the reopening of claims for service connection for various conditions, including lung disorder (COPD), acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), cervical spine disorder (neck strain), varicose veins, sleep apnea, and chronic heart disorder (MI). These issues are being remanded for additional VA examination to address conflicting medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and requests for additional information. The Veteran was not granted any new ratings or effective dates.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and chronic headaches due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board denied service connection for DJD of the left knee, degenerative arthritis and IVDS of the cervical spine, and radiculopathy of the upper extremities (claimed as median neuritis) as these conditions are not found to be directly or secondary to a service-connected disability.,Specifically, the Board determined that there is no evidence linking the Veteran's left knee DJD, cervical spine degenerative arthritis and IVDS, or radiculopathy of the upper extremities (claimed as median neuritis) to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for a cervical spine disorder has been granted. The case is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the nature and etiology of any cervical spine disorder and associated radiculopathies.

The Veteran's cervical spine spondylitis, osteophytosis, and degenerative arthritis are related to his active duty service. However, the claim must be remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of a cervical spine disability due to new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further development, including an addendum opinion on the etiology of the cervical spine disability and a VA examination to assess the severity of his lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis is rated at 10 percent prior to January 3, 2017.,The Veteran's anxiety disorder, NOS, alcohol dependence, traumatic brain injury, is rated at 10 percent prior to April 15, 2013.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine arthritis with stenosis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to inadequate examinations and reliance on lack of medical records.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent since November 8, 2013. The claim for a higher rating prior to that date was denied.

The Veteran seeks TDIU from August 1, 2011 to January 28, 2015 based on service-connected disabilities. However, the combined rating of these conditions does not meet the criteria for TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a). The case is therefore remanded for referral to the VA Director of Compensation and Pension Service for consideration under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disability, constipation, and headaches. The decision is based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's migraine disability and sleep apnea are found to be proximately due to his service-connected sinusitis.,Service connection is granted for a migraine disability, sleep apnea, right shoulder disability, insomnia, rib dislocation disability, postherpetic neuralgia, left shoulder disability, left hand arthritis, right hand arthritis, left hip disability, and right hip disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for entitlement to service connection for cervical spine, right hip, and right knee conditions due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's hypertension, high cholesterol, GERD, headaches, LLE peripheral neuropathy, and RLE peripheral neuropathy are denied as there is no competent indication of a relationship to service.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied, and the effective date for the current ratings remains April 26, 2016.