Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2022

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and cervical spine osteoarthritis do not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of evidence showing a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, service connection for cervical spine disability, erectile dysfunction, and lumbar spine disability due to incomplete opinions regarding obesity.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine, lumbar spine, and bilateral knee disabilities. The decision is remanded for further action on the issue of a bilateral wrist disability.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings related to bilateral hearing loss, allergic rhinitis with upper respiratory infections, right ankle sprain residuals, and PTSD have been dismissed.,Service connection has been granted for cervical and lumbar spine conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, left ankle disorder, and right ankle disorder due to inadequate VA examinations in March 2022. The new examinations are needed to address the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee strain and cervical spine strain due to inadequate notification of VA examinations and failure to obtain updated contact information.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his cervical spine strain with IVDS, lumbosacral strain with IVDS, and right upper extremity radiculopathy. The issues are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an insufficient VA opinion, and a new one must be obtained regarding whether the Veteran's cervical spine disability is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of lumbar and cervical spine disabilities due to incomplete records and unavailability of deck logs from the USS Saratoga.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations to determine the current severity of his service-connected lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, as well as for an assessment of left and right lower extremity sciatica.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, myositis with degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder, and postoperative residuals of a right knee injury are all denied. The Veteran was granted increased ratings for his right shoulder and right knee disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PFB. Service connection was granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right upper extremity radiculopathy.,Service connection was not established for PTSD or schizophrenia due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of left shoulder disability and cervical spine disability due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's reports regarding in-service injuries and continuity of symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient development and examination, including missing VA treatment records and inadequate opinions regarding his neck, back, knee, and hypertension disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection were denied. The Board found that the June 1996 Notice of Disagreement did not encompass an appeal as to the denial of his cervical spine claim.,The Court agreed with this finding, stating that the Veteran must have been referencing a different disability than his shoulder claim in his June 1996 Notice of Disagreement.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for cervical strain and service connection for a back disorder are being remanded due to incomplete VA examinations and the need for additional development.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and examination, including determining whether the Veteran's right and left hand disabilities are directly related to his active service, or if they were caused by medications used to treat his service-connected hypertension. The Board also wants to determine the nature of any currently present neck disability.

The Board has restored the Veteran's 20 percent rating for cervical strain and has remanded cases regarding left patellofemoral pain syndrome (knee) and cervical strain due to insufficient evidence in previous examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding service connection claims for various conditions, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, right knee disability, left knee disability, and left acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination reports and a need for a new VA examination to determine the current level of severity of the Veteran's cervical spine disability, including any additional functional impairment caused by pain, weakness, fatigability, lack of endurance, or incoordination.