Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2024

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for cervical stenosis and cord compression C5-6, C6-7.

The Veteran's service-connected back, neck, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities have been granted increased ratings from August 16, 2018. The highest rating of 40 percent has been granted for thoracolumbar strain with degenerative disc disease.

The Board has determined that new evidence submitted by the Veteran, including a private medical opinion indicating a high probability of cervical strain being related to service, warrants readjudication. The Board finds in favor of granting service connection for cervical strain due to reasonable doubt.

The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative disc disease and radiculopathy are currently rated at the maximum allowed, and no higher rating is warranted.,The Veteran's left upper extremity radiculopathy is also rated at the maximum allowed, and no higher rating is warranted.

The Board denied the Veteran's eligibility for benefits under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) due to a finding that he did not meet the criteria for personal care services, as his medical and functional assessments indicated he could manage his own daily activities and medications without assistance.

The Veteran's lumbosacral spine disorder is granted service connection. The cervical spine condition is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection related to right and left knee disabilities, as well as back and neck disabilities, require further examination and analysis due to pre-decisional errors in obtaining adequate medical opinions. The claims are being remanded to allow for these issues to be addressed.

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disability and an initial rating of 50 percent for migraines. The decision is based on the Veteran's reported in-service injuries and current symptoms, with the latter being productive of very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks that are severe enough to cause significant economic inadaptability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for cervical spine, depression, and lumbar spine conditions secondary to left heel or achilles tendon condition due to an error in satisfying a regulatory duty with regard to these issues.

The Veteran's service-connected other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, cervical spine degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, restless leg syndrome, CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), fibromyalgia, recurrent ulcer disability to include gastric ulcers, and heart disability to include coronary heart disease have been granted. The Veteran's service connection for these conditions is based on new evidence submitted since the last decision.

The Board has remanded the evaluations for Degenerative Joint Disease of the Cervical Spine and Lumbar Spine due to inadequate examination findings.

The Veteran's neck disabilities, including degenerative joint disease with cervical spondylosis, cervical radiculopathy, degenerative disc disease, myofascial pain syndrome, and chronic pain syndrome, are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's headache disability is remanded for further examination to determine its etiology.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disabilities, including unspecified depressive disorder and other specified anxiety disorder, are remanded for further evaluation.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine injury pain and cervical spine injury pain as claimed, finding no current diagnoses related to these conditions during the appeal period.,Service connection was not granted due to a lack of evidence linking the Veteran's current conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including sinusitis, rhinitis, a neck disability, and a right shoulder disability, caused his sleep apnea. The Board granted the claim for secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination for radiculopathy of the right upper extremity. The Veteran's cervical spine strain and left anterior neck scar are rated as they were before, but a new rating is needed for his right upper extremity condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that his current symptoms are related to his service-connected left shoulder disability. The Board considered new evidence submitted by the Veteran and found it relevant to the issue of whether his cervical spine disability is aggravated by his service-connected left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his cervical spine disability was denied. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to March 26, 2012, and from that date until now, he is rated at 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis, including degenerative arthritis, is related to his service-connected right hip condition and grants service connection for this condition as secondary.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings and earlier effective dates have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of service connection for hearing loss or disability of the cervical spine, and denied all other claims.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a cervical spine disorder is denied as there was no pending, unadjudicated petition to reopen his claim prior to September 2, 2016.