Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claims for service connection for recurrent pneumothoraces, cervical spine disability, and residuals of a left lower lobectomy have been denied as the preponderance of evidence does not support a relationship to service.,New and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran’s claims for service connection for recurrent pneumothoraces and cervical spine disability.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including pes equinus in both feet and knee conditions. The Veteran needs a new examination for his bilateral foot and knee disabilities due to worsening symptoms since the last VA examinations. He also needs a new examination for his cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's eczema is now rated at 30% from December 2, 2019.,For the period from March 31, 2011 to December 1, 2019, her eczema was not rated higher than 0%

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for cervical spine DDD and lumbar spine DDD is being remanded due to inadequate VA examination reports regarding the severity of his conditions during flare-ups.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and opinion regarding service connection for a neck disability, reopening of a right ear hearing loss claim, and determining an initial rating for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's cervical spine DJD and lumbar strain have been granted initial compensable ratings. The radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, sciatic nerve; right lower extremity, femoral nerve; and left lower extremity, sciatic nerve have also been granted initial compensable ratings.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, finding that there was no evidence in the service treatment records or immediate post-military records to support a chronic disability developing during service. The current disabilities are considered unrelated to service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability and remanded it. The issues of service connection for neck, bilateral hip disabilities, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as major depressive disorder) are also remanded.

The Board denied service connection for respiratory, left shoulder/arm, and neck disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right shoulder and neck disabilities due to incomplete records, lack of VA examinations, and need for further verification of periods of active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from attending to the needs of nature, caring for himself, or protecting himself from the hazards of his environment. The Board finds that he is in need of regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected conditions.

[object Object]

The Board has remanded the issues of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for cervical DDD and service connection for a left hand condition.,There is no current clinical diagnosis for the Veteran's left hand/fingers, and he does not have a disability related to this issue.

The Veteran's claims for an increased disability rating and TDIU are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and records.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to missing VA treatment records and incomplete examinations. The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and a neck disability are being reviewed again.

The petition to reopen the claims of entitlement to service connection for upper and lower spine conditions, including lumbar diskectomy residuals and thoracic degenerative changes, cervicalgia (claimed as neck condition), and fibromyalgia is granted. The appeal is granted to that extent only.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA examination to assess the severity of his cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical strain and related conditions have been evaluated as 20 percent disabling prior to June 29, 2018, and as 30 percent disabling from that date. The Board found the evidence did not support a higher rating based on additional limitation of motion or other factors.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, an increased disability rating for a right foot injury, and an increased disability rating for anxiety disorder were dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD was denied.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for various orthopedic and neurological disabilities, including right ankle, left ankle, right foot, left foot, low back, right leg, left leg, neck, and left upper extremity neurological disabilities. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty for training.