Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increases in ratings and TDIU due to issues with his back, neck, and extremity radiculopathy. The case must be returned after compliance with all prior directives.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple issues has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his infertility claim. The remaining claims have been remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left foot/ankle disabilities, based on evidence that these conditions were aggravated by his service-connected left foot disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his service-connected psychiatric disability and its impact on the claimed ankle, carpal tunnel syndrome, foot, cervical spine, lumbosacral spine, and right knee disabilities.,Specifically, a VA examination will be conducted to determine if any of these disabilities are related to or aggravated by his service-connected psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's cervical spine arthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, bilateral hip condition, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded for further examination and medical opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right shoulder impingement, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his exposure to hazardous materials during service, particularly AFFF and lead paint. The claims are now pending again with instructions to prepare an Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record (ILER) and obtain further opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as noncompensable (0 percent) since the January 2011 VA examination. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating.,Service connection for pterygium, onychomycosis, keratitis with bilateral dry eyes, and corneal pannus have been remanded as there is insufficient information regarding the competency of the VA examiners who conducted these examinations.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability and right upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that the evidence did not establish a nexus to service. The Veteran's current disabilities were found to have begun after service.,Service connection was granted for a left knee disability as secondary to the service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for lower back, cervical spine, and right knee disorders based on credible testimony of in-service injuries during active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine strain with intervertebral disc disease (IVDS). The evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's cervical spine disability was caused by his service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine discectomy with cervical fusion C6-C7, finding that his current cervical disability did not originate in service or until years thereafter and is not related to any service-connected condition. The claim was also denied as secondary to a service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's request to readjudicate the claim for service connection for tension headaches has been granted.,The Veteran's request to readjudicate the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy or peripheral neuropathy, as well as his neck and low back disabilities. The evidence does not support a finding of current disability in these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraines, left cervical radiculopathy, right cervical radiculopathy, left lumbar radiculopathy, and right lumbar radiculopathy have been granted with effective dates of June 19, 2019.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left hip, right hip, cervical spine, left knee, and back disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease that is related to these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for service-connected degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and cervical spine have been denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical spine condition and dextroscoliosis, thoracolumbar spine.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to assess the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed neck and bilateral knee disabilities, as these issues were not addressed in prior examinations.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of February 22, 2017 for both the TDIU and DEA benefits based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.