Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2025

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's bilateral ankle, elbow, shoulder, cervical spine, and skin conditions, except for a 40% rating for bilateral ankle gout from March 1, 2021, and a 30% rating for eczema, onychomycosis, and pilonidal cyst from April 25, 2023.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that the evidence did not support a direct link to service or continuity of symptomatology.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for a cervical spine disability, right shoulder disability, chronic pain disorder, kidney disability, and TDIU due to insufficient evidence regarding in-service events and exposures.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a neck disability, back disability, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, right hand disability, and right foot disability, as additional development is required to address causation and aggravation.

The Board denied ratings in excess of the current assigned ratings for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a neck disability with permanent nerve damage and difficulty with hands and legs, left ankle, left foot, left leg, right leg, left leg artery, right leg artery, back, and respiratory conditions, to verify potential toxic risk exposure activities (TERA) in addition to conceded herbicide exposure.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder, migraine headaches, and a brain aneurysm due to the need for additional evidence.

The Board denied service connection for neurobehavioral effects due to a lack of current disability, and remanded claims for cervical spine, right knee, right shoulder, lumbar spine, and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy secondary to a cervical spine disability.

The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine (neck) disability and a left shoulder disability as secondary to the neck disability, but remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disability.

The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for a neck disability for an addendum medical opinion.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to higher ratings for cervical spine degenerative disc disease and upper extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient evidence.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a back disability and neck disability due to insufficient compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board remands the claims for additional VA examinations to determine the current severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for further development as it finds that there was not substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board granted service connection for hypertension, cervical spine disability, bilateral hip disability, vertigo, bilateral hamstring disability, pelvic disability, and kidney disability to include as secondary to service-connected hypertension. The Board also denied an initial compensable rating from March 17, 2010 to March 9, 2016, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter for symptoms other than painful facial scars, above right ear lateral scalp, but granted a 10 percent rating from March 9, 2016.

The Board remands the claim for a new medical opinion to determine if there is sufficient evidence to identify the existence of arthritis of the cervical spine in service or within a year after separation from service, and whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's current cervical spine disability is related to or caused by his in-service injury.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment from May 7, 2007 through October 7, 2013.

The Board remands the matter to obtain an adequate medical opinion as to whether the Veteran's cervical spine disability is aggravated by his service-connected back disability.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a neck disability, to include as secondary to left shoulder impingement syndrome with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and/or degenerative disc disease (DDD) other than intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), for further development.