Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative changes in cervical spine with multilevel foraminal stenosis, but denied service connection for prominent atherosclerosis calcification of the proximal internal carotid arteries.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration. The thoracolumbar spine disorder is denied as it pre-existed service and underwent no clinically identifiable permanent increase in severity during service. The cervical spine disorder claim is also remanded due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete service treatment records, and more development is needed before a final decision can be made.

The Veteran's cervical spinal stenosis claim is being remanded due to the need for authorization of medical records from Tulane Medical Center and VA Baton Rouge.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical strain and right knee condition due to failure to appear for VA examinations. The Veteran is requested to provide updated medical evidence or attend the scheduled examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected left and right upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities, along with his cervical spine disability, rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet or more nearly approximate the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including stomach hernia, diabetes, cervical spine disorder, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, and myopathy. The evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection or secondary to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided are inadequate to address the Veteran's claims for service connection. Therefore, additional evaluations or opinions are required.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine disability is related to his service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA opinions regarding whether the Veteran's cervical spine disorder is secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The case will be reviewed again with new VA opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to service-connected sinusitis. The remaining issues of increased ratings for migraine headaches, hiatal hernia, lumbosacral spine disability, cervical spine disability, and right shoulder disability are remanded.

The Veteran's right shoulder condition is rated at 30 percent, and his cervical spine condition remains at 10 percent. The Board found that the new VA examinations provided sufficient information to grant a higher rating for the right shoulder.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral knee and neck disabilities, right ankle disability, insomnia (claimed as secondary to psychiatric disorder and tinnitus), low back disability, penile disability, and sciatica. Additional VA examinations are needed to address the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to incomplete compliance with previous remand directives, including the need for additional VA examinations.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's neck disability and right upper extremity radiculopathy are service-connected. However, the claim for fibromyalgia is denied as there is no evidence to support a direct connection to service. The right-hand condition (claimed as tremors) requires further examination to determine if it is related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient medical opinions and need for additional development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a cervical spine disability, finding that the current condition is not related to his active military service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed as moot since he had a combined 100% schedular rating for his service-connected disabilities from July 2009 onwards, but not with one rated as totally disabling.

The appeal for service connection for prostate disability is dismissed. The neck disability claim, related to the service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, is remanded.