Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2023

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease relating to his current condition. The Board noted that the Veteran did not report neck pain symptoms during service and that he only reported such symptoms after leaving active duty.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including obtaining SSA records that may contain evidence relevant to the Veteran's right foot and cervical spine disabilities.

The Board has remanded two issues related to the Veteran's neck and left wrist disabilities, which are secondary to his service-connected left knee disability. The remand is due to insufficient opinions regarding secondary service connection and a need for updated medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative joint/disc disease of the cervical spine, finding that it is related to an in-service injury incurred as a result of a mortar attack.

The Veteran's hypertension is presumed to be etiologically related to his conceded in-service herbicide exposure. The cervical spine condition issue is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus, neck disability, and migraines headaches have been granted service connection. The issues of service connection for a low back disability and bilateral shoulder disabilities are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and right upper extremity neuropathy due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine disorder and left upper extremity radiculopathy are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of a chronic condition during or within one year after his active service. The VA examiner found no link between the conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete STRs and outstanding VA treatment records. The issues include gout, cervical spine disorder, back disorder, anxiety disorder, respiratory disorder, sleep/fatigue disorder, headaches, and muscle pain disorders, all potentially related to Persian Gulf service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and effective dates have been dismissed due to the Veteran requesting to withdraw his appeals.,The Veteran has service-connected disabilities including Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Asthma, Major Depressive Disorder with Borderline Personality Disorder, Degenerative Joint Disease of the Right Knee, Degenerative Disc Disease with Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine, and Degenerative Disc Disease with Degenerative Joint Disease of the Cervical Spine.

The Board has granted service connection for secondary cervical spine, intervertebral disc syndrome, and spinal stenosis conditions related to the Veteran's service-connected right knee and lumbar spine disabilities. A disability rating of 40 percent is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for PTSD and mood disorder have been dismissed. The claims of service connection for residual of TBI, cervical spine disorder, and respiratory disorder are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings due to insufficient information from previous VA examinations regarding his lumbosacral, cervical, and left knee disabilities. The AOJ is instructed to obtain updated treatment records and arrange for new orthopedic examinations.

The Board has determined that the case must be remanded for additional development due to procedural errors and incomplete medical records.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the ankle disability as it was granted in a previous decision. The right shoulder and cervical spine disabilities were granted service connection.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for higher ratings in all three issues, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for service connection and ratings have been denied.,Specifically, the Board found that no earlier effective date could be granted due to a July 6, 2017 auto-generated 'intent to file' form which did not preserve an effective date of July 6, 2017.

The Veteran's cervical spine DDD and CAD were denied increased ratings.,Hypertension, hemorrhoids, and right foot fracture with gout were also denied increased ratings.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new and material evidence not having been submitted. The issues of service connection for lumbar spine condition, cervical spine condition, sleep apnea (due to asbestos exposure and as secondary to service-connected tinnitus and non-service-connected lumbar spine condition), and shoulder pain are all remanded.

The Veteran's increased ratings for cervical radiculopathy of the right upper extremity are denied.,The Veteran's entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for cervical radiculopathy of the left upper extremity is also denied.