Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2025

The Board granted an effective date of October 24, 2018, for the award of service connection for cervical spine intervertebral disc syndrome with cervical strain and other related conditions.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of June 22, 2021 for the award of a 70 percent rating for service-connected psychiatric disability but denied earlier effective dates for back and neck disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that the Veteran's symptoms had their onset during active service and have continued ever since.

The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for multiple disabilities, including a cervical spine (neck) disability, low back disability, left shoulder disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left ankle disability, and right ankle disability.

The Board granted service connection for low back and cervical spine disabilities based on the evidence showing that these conditions had their onset during the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine, bilateral hip, left shoulder, and right ankle disabilities and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy as the evidence did not support the existence of these conditions during or approximate to the pendency of the appeal. The Veteran's hearing loss was rated noncompensable.

The Board remands the matter for additional development, specifically to obtain measurements or estimates of the Veteran's cervical spine range of motion under weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection and a higher rating for the neck disability.

The Board has denied service connection for several conditions, including ADHD, right ear hearing loss, G6PD deficiency, intestinal disability, eye disability, and others. However, the Board has granted service connection for cervical spine arthritis.

The Board denied service connection for headaches, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, and neck disability as there is no evidence of a current disability or persistent symptoms related to these conditions during the Veteran's active service.

The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to service-connected PTSD and lumbar spine condition, but dismissed the claims for cervical spine pain and degenerative arthritis of the left knee.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, a lung condition, and a dental disorder for VA compensation purposes due to the lack of evidence supporting these claims. The claims for other disabilities were remanded for further development.

The Board dismissed the motion to revise or reverse on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) for multiple issues regarding service connection, as the Veteran did not plead CUE with sufficient particularity.

The Board granted an initial disability evaluation of 20 percent for a neck disability, effective September 18, 2021.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, a neck disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as there was no evidence of current disabilities or symptoms.

The appeal for service connection for a degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine disorder is dismissed as it has been fully granted. The claims for service connection for a degenerative disc disease, cervical disorder, cervical and ulnar neuropathy LUE radiculopathy, and an URI are remanded for readjudication.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for the Veteran's bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy and denied an increased rating for cervical spondylosis with cord compression, while remanding a claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for various joint conditions, cervical spine arthritis, lumbosacral spine arthritis, and radiculopathy of the upper extremities to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board denied a higher disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability, finding that the evidence did not support ratings in excess of 10 percent prior to December 12, 2018; 20 percent from December 12, 2018, to July 25, 2022; and 30 percent since July 26, 2022.

The Board denied entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for cervical strain and a rating in excess of 40 percent for lumbar strain, both on and off the extraschedular basis.