Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for cervical spine disability, evaluation of lumbar spine disability, TDIU prior to November 22, 2010, and effective date for DEA under Chapter 35.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability and a cervical spine disability, finding insufficient evidence of a nexus between the disabilities and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death was due to his service-connected conditions, specifically his prescribed high-dose opioid pain medications and benzodiazepine.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine disability and right hand carpal tunnel syndrome due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran contends that his duties as an administrative specialist contributed to these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and a cervical spine disorder, finding that there was no medical evidence linking the current conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, right knee strain, and left knee strain due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the preponderance of evidence is against finding a nexus between the Veteran's hypertension and her service-connected psychiatric disability. The claims for bilateral foot condition, low back condition, cervical spine condition (right side of neck), right arm condition, and right shoulder condition are remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence and need for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the cervical spine disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for OSA, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The rating for depressive disorder is increased to 70 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for cervical-spine disorder and entitlement to TDIU due to inadequate medical opinions in previous VA examinations.

The claim for service connection has been reopened, but the issues of low back disability (including a fractured vertebra), neck disability, and right knee disability have been remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has denied service connection for right shoulder and neck disabilities, finding that the current conditions are not related to service. The Veteran's claims were remanded on other issues.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder has been granted. The decision also includes the reopening of claims for heart disease, hypertension, left foot disability, right foot disability, and neck disability.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 10 percent, and the Board has remanded to seek a new examination to assess his range of motion and functional loss.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant, and thus no jurisdiction remains for adjudicating the merits of the claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities have been granted. The claim for bilateral hearing loss has also been granted. However, the Board has remanded these cases due to a lack of medical opinions regarding the etiology of the disabilities.

All issues on appeal are remanded for further development and consideration. The Veteran's hypertension is found to be due to herbicide agent exposure in Vietnam.,The Veteran's chronic bladder cystitis is remanded as the VA examination did not address this issue.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, including degenerative disc disease and as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability, has been resolved. The issue is dismissed.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Veteran's right knee degenerative joint disease was diagnosed within one year of active duty discharge and the Veteran reported right knee pain. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.