Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2023

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability from May 5, 2012 and effective date of Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits from the same date. The decision also grants an earlier effective date for TDIU.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to incomplete service treatment records and inadequate psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's appeals for hearing loss and skin condition (claimed as jungle rot) were dismissed due to his withdrawal of these claims.,Service connection was granted for cervical-spine disorder with associated left-upper-extremity radiculopathy, lumbar-spine disorder with associated right and left-lower-extremity radiculopathy, and right-knee disorder, all secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus and hallux valgus.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's claims for left knee strain, myeloma, sinusitis, and cervical strain have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence and an examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a neck disability, finding that there was no direct evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence being added to the record since the last Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the failure of VA examinations. The Veteran is requested to provide updated evidence, including rescheduling of examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claims of service connection for neck, back, and tinnitus disabilities, as well as increased ratings for his service-connected migraine headaches and bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to deficiencies in medical opinions and missing audiometry test results. The issues include sleep apnea, right knee strain, right hand condition, left hand condition, and cervical spine condition.

The Veteran's cervical spine, shoulder, hip, knee, and radicular conditions are related to her in-service injury. The Board finds the VA examiners' opinions inadequate as they did not consider the relevant STRs or lay evidence of record.,The Veteran contends that her current musculoskeletal pain and symptoms began in service and are also related to her service-connected lumbar spine condition.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to obtain medical opinions regarding service connection and rating for the Veteran's lumbar strain and cervical spine degenerative arthritis.

Your cervical spine disability was denied service connection by the Board, and your appeal is dismissed.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a cervical spine disability due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset during service. The case will be returned to VA for further examination and consideration.

The Board has granted service connection for lower back arthritis and degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine, finding that new evidence supports a link to military service. The Veteran's contentions regarding his in-service activities have been considered, along with medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic lumbar spine disability, chronic cervical spine disability, chronic right knee disability, and IBS (presumptively related to Southwest Asia service). The claims are based on the presumption of exposure in the Gulf War setting.

The Veteran's thoracic outlet syndrome with intermittent bilateral upper extremity numbness is granted as service connected. The Veteran's cervical spine disability is remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, left knee, and left shoulder disabilities, as well as bilateral hip replacement. The Veteran's right upper extremity and lower extremity radiculopathies are also found to be related to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine/neck disability, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy (including as secondary to the now service-connected cervical spine disability), headaches disability (including as secondary to the now service-connected cervical spine disability), left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left ankle disability, and left knee disability.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to the nature of these claims as freestanding and not related to the initial grant of service connection.