Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims for cervical spine DDD, right knee DJD, and lumbar spine DDD due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran is not granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that there is no evidence linking his current condition to his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions, including bilateral eye condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, lumbosacral spine condition, cervical spine condition, right ankle condition, and left ankle condition. The VA is required to provide additional examinations or opinions that address the lay evidence of record and provide rationale for any conclusions reached.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is not related to service, and the Board denied service connection for this condition.,The Veteran does not have a current visual acuity disability. The Board also denied service connection for this issue.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine condition, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or aggravation and noting that the current diagnosis predated his period of active duty. The Board concluded that the appellant did not have status as a Veteran due to his Reserve service.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to outstanding treatment records and a need for a retrospective medical opinion regarding functional loss during flare-ups.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings and earlier effective dates have been dismissed.,The Veteran was granted a TDIU from July 7, 2016.

The Board has determined that there is at least a 50% chance (equipoise) that the Veteran's cervical spine disorder is related to his military service, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's service connection claims for cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine disorders, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, and right ankle disorder were denied as the evidence did not establish a direct relationship to military service.

The Veteran's cervical muscular strain is rated at a higher 30 percent rating from March 9, 2012 to September 6, 2017. The Board found that the Veteran had limited forward flexion of his cervical spine to 15 degrees due to pain.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities were denied. The lumbar strain was rated as 20% prior to September 5, 2019, and the cervical strains were both rated as 10%. These ratings are not higher.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine and right shoulder disorders due to incomplete service treatment records. The VA will request additional records, review them, and provide an updated opinion on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability was granted an initial 20% rating until September 28, 2020. From that date onwards, a higher rating is denied.,For the radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, a higher initial rating is denied from September 28, 2020 onwards.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including cervicogenic headaches, depression and/or anxiety, cervical spine disability, cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, and sixth thoracic vertebrae associated with status post cervical fusion, likely preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy secondary to service-connected cervical spine DDD, and headaches.,Service connection is also granted for a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder.

The Veteran's neck and low back disabilities are granted as service-connected, with the Board finding that there is at least a 50% likelihood that these conditions were caused by his military service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of a cervical spine disability and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a link between his service-connected low back disability and his current cervical spine condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for Parkinson's disease, back disability, and cervical spine disability due to incomplete development related to exposure claims. The Veteran is also requested to provide information about his service-connected motor vehicle accident.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and cervical spine disabilities have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to comply with its January 2018 remand instructions regarding functional limitation testing for the Veteran's cervical spine disability. The Veteran is scheduled for a VA examination to evaluate her service-connected cervical spine disability and assess any additional functional limitations.