Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including neck disability, bilateral shoulder disability, back disability, hip disability, and knee disability due to incomplete development. The Veteran's lay statements and VA treatment records will be reviewed, along with any additional medical evidence.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability and left upper extremity radiculopathy are granted service connection. The appeal for the radiculopathy of the left and right sciatic nerves is dismissed as they have already been granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms and treatment.

The Veteran's right wrist disorder and cervical spine disorder are granted as service connected.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU effective March 17, 2011 to May 15, 2014 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and maintaining gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cervical spine disability is related to service. The VA examiner needs to provide an opinion on this issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, loss of feeling in the pelvic area, pinched nerve on the right side of the neck, cervicalgia, ankle disabilities, sphincter control issues, bladder control issues, and hematochezia are remanded due to insufficient evidence or need for further examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates are remanded due to the need for additional examinations. The Board will consider all issues when readjudicating these matters.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and opinion regarding service connection for a neck disability and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy. The claims are being remanded due to incomplete information about the Veteran's periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA.

The Board has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability, including evaluations for DDD with IVDS and associated neurological abnormalities. The remand requires obtaining VA treatment records from VistA, BAMC, and private providers, as well as obtaining retrospective medical opinions regarding the severity of the disabilities prior to January 2020.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence added since the last decision and an inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's neck condition.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for various rating and effective date claims due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's neck disability and back disability are rated at 20 percent, but no higher. Service connection for lumbar degenerative joint disease and radiculopathy is granted.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine arthritis and left shoulder arthritis due to new evidence provided in February 2018. However, the claims remain denied as there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for insomnia has been reopened, and the Board finds new and material evidence to support this claim. The earlier effective date claims are also remanded due to incomplete VA records and potential errors in record association.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU due to insufficient reasoning in a previous decision. The case is returned for further proceedings, including clarification of the June 2020 VA examiner's opinion regarding the cervical spine disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck disability, finding that it is not secondary to his service-connected back and/or right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of her appeals.

The Board has remanded the case for additional VA medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service connection claims on appeal, including his neck disability, left shoulder disability, nerve disorder of the left upper extremity, and left elbow disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine disorder, bladder disorder, and respiratory disorder (chronic bronchitis) due to incomplete opinions in previous examinations.