Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2023

The Board denied service connection for various joint disabilities, including cervical spine arthritis, right hand and finger arthritis, left hand and finger arthritis, right hip arthritis, left hip arthritis, right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, right wrist arthritis, left wrist arthritis, and right knee degenerative arthritis.,The evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a left shoulder disorder was denied.,The appeals for initial evaluations in excess of 10 percent for cervical spine disability, right knee strain, and left knee strain were also denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability and TBI are remanded for further examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left hip, bilateral knee, left foot, and neck disabilities as they are not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical strain with DDD, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.

The Board has dismissed the claims of service connection for a right foot and psychiatric disabilities due to their grant in prior rating decisions. The remaining issues - neck, right upper extremity radiculopathy, headache, and right knee disabilities - are remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder and a right shoulder disorder, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his service-connected RSD and CRPS affecting his right wrist.,The Board concluded that the Veteran would have developed his cervical spine disorder and right shoulder disorder regardless of his service-connected RSD and CRPS.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to issues related to his cervical spine disability and PTSD. The Board will seek additional medical opinions to address the proximate cause of these conditions, as well as their aggravation by other service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for degenerative joint disease (claimed as left hip condition), degenerative joint disease (claimed as right hip condition), arthritis, cervical spine (claimed as neck condition), osteoarthritis (claimed as left shoulder condition), and post-surgical osteoarthritis (claimed as right shoulder condition).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the loss of use of one or both lower extremities, nor does he require regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected conditions.,The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran requires regular aid and assistance from another person for daily living activities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection, TDIU, and special monthly compensation due to deficiencies in the VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not require hospital treatment at a VA medical facility for more than 21 days during the period from August 2, 2016 to September 9, 2016. Therefore, his claim for a temporary total evaluation based on VA hospitalization is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including generalized anxiety disorder, migraine headaches, cervical strain, and sinus tachycardia, rendered her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from August 12, 2015 to November 4, 2019 and from March 1, 2020 to December 7, 2022. She is now in receipt of a combined rating of 100% for her service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions in the previous rating decisions.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been withdrawn. The Board has also remanded the claims for OSA and hypertension due to lack of a medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine disorder and GERD due to incomplete development of evidence, including VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including sleep apnea, cervical spine disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder. The remand is due to insufficient examinations and the need to consider whether the Veteran's reported symptoms are related to his military service or an undiagnosed illness.

The Veteran's neck disability is rated at 20 percent, but a higher rating is denied. The effective date for TDIU prior to June 3, 2019 is also denied. Ratings for left shoulder and upper extremity radiculopathy are denied. Effective dates for these conditions are not granted either. Ratings for back, right knee, and left ankle disabilities remain at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervicalgia and headaches due to a lack of a VA examination, as well as insufficient evidence regarding service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including headaches, cervical spine disability, sleep apnea, right hip disability, left hip disability, and muscle pain. The claims are being returned to VA for further development.