Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2025

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities and special monthly compensation at the statutory housebound rate.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a certificate of eligibility for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grant due to his service-connected disabilities not meeting the criteria.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a right hand burn and remanded several other issues, including entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for residuals of a hiatal hernia surgical repair, and claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left hand disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, and cervical spine disorder.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including a benign liver disorder, cervical disorder, gallstones, kidney stones, thyroid disorder, and ovarian cysts as secondary to a cervical disorder, due to inadequate examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for various disabilities, including a right shoulder disability and conditions secondary to it, as there was no evidence that VA treatment caused additional disability beyond what would have occurred due to pre-existing conditions.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a neck disability, back disability, hand/finger disability, broken left leg, left leg cramps, left leg nerve disability, left knee disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, psychiatric disability, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypertension, to correct pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of December 20, 1969 for the award of service connection for cervical strain with degenerative arthritis, spinal stenosis and intervertebral disc syndrome but denied earlier effective dates for other conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a clothing allowance in calendar year 2021 for a back brace, as there was no evidence that the use of the back brace resulted in wear and tear on the outer garment.

The Board granted service connection for a neck disability and a low back disability as secondary to the neck disability, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and cervical spine disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities. The appeal for bilateral hip disabilities was dismissed as moot.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine, lumbar spine, bilateral shoulders, and right knee disabilities due to inextricable interwoven issues.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability, neck disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy.

The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for GERD and a 50 percent evaluation for cluster headaches, but denied an increased rating for right foot plantar fasciitis. The Veteran was also granted a 10 percent evaluation for external hemorrhoids effective May 19, 2024.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and a compensable rating for his cervical degenerative disc disease status post cervical fusion, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings.

The appeal for an increased disability rating of the right knee and claims for service connection for a traumatic brain injury, neck disability, and right wrist disability were dismissed due to prohibited concurrent elections under the modernized review system.

The Board granted service connection for cerebral infarction and dizziness, and assigned a 50% rating for migraine headaches starting from May 30, 2019.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been found to render him unable to physically care for himself, thereby granting special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and he is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for the entire appeal period.

The Board denied an increased disability rating for PTSD, readjudicated the claim for a neck disability, and denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine. The claim for chronic kidney disease and kidney stones was remanded.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and evaluation in excess of certain ratings for various service-connected conditions, as well as a claim for TDIU, due to the need for updated medical information.