Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his cervical and lumbar spine disabilities were denied as there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis, which would warrant a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for a neck disability and a lumbar spine (back) disability, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right knee, cervical spine, hypertension, left elbow, headache, and right shoulder disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions and incomplete factual premises in previous examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions due to new evidence submitted after the May 24, 2019 Statement of the Case.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine disorder is etiologically related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and examination, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing medical opinions regarding the Veteran's end stage renal failure and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a retrospective medical opinion and adjudicating the TDIU claim for the period prior to November 1, 2019.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 30 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating in excess of this level. The evidence does not support a higher rating as the current schedular criteria adequately describes his disability.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to obtain medical opinions regarding the Veteran's neck, right knee, and left knee disabilities. The claims will be reconsidered after this development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including cervical spine disability, left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, duodenal ulcers, bilateral hallux valgus and stress fractures of the feet, rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine and trapezius disorders are not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing their onset during active duty or being related to any other service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back, left hip, cervical spine, and right shoulder disabilities due to incomplete compliance with previous remand directives. The RO is required to obtain updated VA treatment records from April 2017 to present, all medical records located in VA's VISTA imaging system, and any private treatment records relevant to the claims.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connection due to the evidence showing a current disability and in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for neck pain/pinch, low back pain, left shoulder condition, and left knee condition are denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to these conditions.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's neck disability to his service, including an in-service motor vehicle accident. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for a cervical spine disability due to incomplete development and lack of an examination.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and shin splits have been dismissed. The Board has granted service connection for TBI, cervical spine condition, headaches, and other specified trauma-related disorder.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck and back disabilities due to new evidence submitted. However, the claims are still pending as they have been remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development related to his cervical spine disability.,Higher ratings are denied for bilateral hearing loss and cervical spine disability as of the specified dates.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities due to inadequate opinions in the February 2017 VA examination reports. The claims will be reviewed again with new examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's right leg disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current condition related to service.,The Veteran's left hip and right hip disabilities are denied due to lack of in-service onset or relationship to service.