Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, a neck disability, diabetes, gout, and hypertension, were denied. The Board found no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for multiple sclerosis, cervical fusion, and lumbar fusion due to incomplete records from his second period of service.

The Board denied the request to revise a January 1993 rating decision that granted service connection for bilateral shoulder, cervical spine, and left elbow disorders with a single combined 10 percent rating. The Veteran's claim was based on the presence of X-ray evidence of arthritis.

The Board has dismissed the claim for TDIU prior to January 31, 2019 due to maximization of compensation. The case is remanded for referral to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back and cervical spine disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new examination is required.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for neck, right shoulder, low back, right hip, and bilateral plantar fasciitis disabilities due to service in Bosnia. The VA must obtain a new examination to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's lumbar spine, cervical spine, right hip, and left hip disabilities have been granted initial ratings from October 26, 2006 to the present. The Veteran also received increased ratings for her radiculopathy of various nerves in both upper and lower extremities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, low back disability, left forearm scar, cervical spine strain, and left ankle sprain due to incomplete opinions. The Veteran's lay statements regarding onset of his disabilities are not credible.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for various conditions, including right knee, left knee, right ankle, left ankle, cervical spine, low back, sleep apnea, and post-concussion syndrome. The appeals are now remanded to further develop evidence related to these claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back and neck disabilities, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between her current conditions and her active duty service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an opinion regarding service connection for various conditions, including a back disability, neck disability, hypertension, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen her claim for service connection for a low back disability and has also granted secondary service connection for lumbar spine disorder due to right knee arthritis and residuals of a right knee injury. The cervical spine disorder is still pending as secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for cervical spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy have aggravated his cervical spine, lumbar spine, and right shoulder disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine condition, a lumbar spine disorder, a left knee disorder, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.,After considering all the evidence of record, including the Veteran's testimony and medical opinions, the Board found that there is an approximate balance or near equivalence of the evidence to support the Veteran's claims for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disability and back disability, finding that the current disabilities are related to an in-service injury. The Veteran's TDIU award is also considered, leading to the grant of SMC at the housebound rate.,The Veteran was awarded a TDIU based on multiple service-connected disabilities, but this does not affect his eligibility for SMC as it must be based on a single disability rated as 100%.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate VA examinations and missing medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral foot condition and cervical spine disorder due to inadequate medical opinions in previous VA examinations. The case is returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's claim for increased rating of other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder was denied as the increase in disability did not occur within one year prior to September 20, 2016.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating of migraine headaches was denied as the increase in disability did not occur within one year prior to September 20, 2016.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating of left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain was denied as the increase in disability did not occur within one year prior to September 27, 2019.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating of left knee strain was denied as the increase in disability did not occur within one year prior to November 5, 2020.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating of right knee strain was denied as the increase in disability did not occur within one year prior to November 5, 2020.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating of cervical strain with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) was denied as the increase in disability did not occur within one year prior to September 27, 2019.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating of right upper extremity radiculopathy was denied as the increase in disability did not occur within one year prior to September 27, 2019.,The Veteran's claim for increased rating of left upper extremity radiculopathy of the left upper extremity was denied as the increase in disability did not occur within one year prior to November 21, 2019.