Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left and right knee conditions, back issues, radiculopathy, cervical spine condition, upper extremity radiculopathy, hypothyroidism, and PSVT, are being remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including his heart disability and related surgeries, prevent him from obtaining and sustaining gainful employment. The Board finds that the evidence supports referral of the claim for TDIU to VA's Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, GERD, left leg shin splint, degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, and respiratory condition. The Veteran is presumed to have toxic exposure in service due to his Persian Gulf War service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left wrist disorder, including carpal tunnel syndrome; left thumb disorder; and left ankle disorder. The appeals are dismissed as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for neck and left knee disabilities. The remaining issues of secondary service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, right-hand, and left-hand conditions are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis, finding that her symptoms were noted in service and have continued since then.

The Veteran's cervicalgia is granted as secondary to his service-connected right shoulder disability. A 10 percent rating for GERD prior to December 16, 2019 is granted. An extraschedular rating for GERD from December 16, 2019 is denied. Ratings higher than 10 percent for both the right knee and right ankle disabilities are denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions addressing all relevant evidence and periods of service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities were granted with effective dates of October 23, 2001 and February 27, 2001 respectively. The Board found clear and unmistakable error in the original rating decisions that assigned earlier effective dates.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine. The claims for residuals of a trapezius muscle injury, right-shoulder degenerative joint disease, and left-eye retinopathy are remanded due to outstanding records.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings in excess of 10 percent for cervical strain and in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder strain with rotator cuff tendonitis before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left leg and foot conditions, neck disability, sinus condition (sinusitis), and right ear hearing loss are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and the retrieval of private treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic cervical spine disorder, finding that there was no evidence of arthritis in service or within one year after service. The Board also found that the current diagnosis is not related to his service, including a fall during National Guard service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected erectile dysfunction, voiding dysfunction, and cervical spine condition are remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, right knee, and left knee disorders due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in November 2023.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to insufficient medical evidence regarding functional impairment during flare-ups and passive range of motion.

The Veteran's vertigo, seizure disorder, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability (lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar spondylolisthesis, and spondylosis with radiculopathy), diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, bilateral eye disability, tinnitus, hypertension, chronic memory loss disability, chronic headache disability, major depressive disorder, right foot disability, right knee disability, arthritis, left foot disability, left knee disability, left hip disability, and right hip disability are not supported by evidence of record.,The Veteran's service connection claims for vertigo, seizure disorder, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability (lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar spondylolisthesis, and spondylosis with radiculopathy), diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, bilateral eye disability, tinnitus, hypertension, chronic memory loss disability, chronic headache disability, major depressive disorder, right foot disability, right knee disability, arthritis, left foot disability, left knee disability, left hip disability, and right hip disability are denied.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for various service-connected disabilities have been denied.,No new evidence or changes in the Veteran's conditions were presented, and no legal basis was provided to support earlier effective dates.