Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2023

The Veteran's left upper extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted service connection as secondary to their respective service-connected back disability.,From March 25, 2019, the Veteran's back disability has been granted an increased rating of 40 percent.

The appeal for service connection of a cervical condition is dismissed.,Service connection granted for left and right ankle conditions, with the Board finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to in-service complaints and treatment.

The Veteran withdrew his claim for service connection of a cervical spine strain, and the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine with DDD and cervical spondylosis, and left shoulder strain with impingement syndrome.

Service connection is granted for thrombosis of the left axillary and subclavian vein. The Board also finds that service connection is warranted for degenerative joint disease of the right ankle, left ankle, left shoulder, right shoulder, epicondylitis of the left elbow, epicondylitis of the right elbow, degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. Service connection was not granted for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, left lower extremity, right upper extremity, or left upper extremity.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee conditions and cervical spine condition due to inadequate medical opinions and missing VA treatment records.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine DISH, lumbar spondylosis, facet arthropathy, and cervical hyperostosis on a presumptive basis due to in-service injuries during military training duties in Alaska. Service connection for cervical hyperostosis was also granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues of cervical spine disability, chronic stress fractures of sacrum, left upper extremity neuropathy, right upper extremity neuropathy, left lower extremity neuropathy, and right lower extremity neuropathy.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for cervical spine disability service connection and granted a 20% initial rating for cervical strain. The claim for compensable rating for hemorrhoids was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbar disability, unspecified depressive disorder with anxious features, and various radiculopathies of the upper and lower extremities, as well as cervical spine disability, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU based on this finding.

The Board has remanded the appellant's claims for further development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and a VA examination to determine if the appellant was insane at the time of his misconduct leading to his discharge. The issues are inextricably intertwined with the character of discharge issue.

The Veteran's appeals for higher initial evaluations of her DDD of the cervical spine, LUE radiculopathy, RUE radiculopathy, and nephrolithiasis are all considered. The Board has not fully addressed the issues related to service connection for tremors (LUE and RUE), as no NOD was submitted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including right knee, neck, left shoulder, and right shoulder conditions. The issues are related to whether these conditions had their onset in or are otherwise etiologically related to active service.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral elbow, shoulder, hip, wrist, carpal tunnel syndrome, and cervical spine disabilities, as the evidence did not support a link to service.

The Board has granted service connection for right foot, cervical spine, and lumbar spine disabilities. Service connection for sleep apnea was withdrawn by the appellant.

The Veteran's claim for earlier effective dates for cervical strain, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and IVDS, left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), and right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve) was denied. The effective dates for these conditions were not earlier than January 30, 2013.,The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for cervical strain with degenerative arthritis and IVDS, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and IVDS, left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve), and right lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve) was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial rating for tinnitus was withdrawn during his hearing. The Board granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and denied service connection for right knee, left knee, kidney cancer residuals, varicose veins, neck disability, acquired psychiatric disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea.,The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to noise exposure in service.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to lack of recent VA examinations and outstanding records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine have been granted. However, her claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to May 28, 2015.