Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2025

The Board granted an effective date of July 16, 2008, for service connection for cervical spine degenerative arthritis and spondylosis of the lumbar spine.

The Board granted service connection for a bilateral knee condition, arthritis and a rating of 20 percent for reversed cervical lordosis, while dismissing the claim for service connection for dental treatment purposes.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions and an earlier effective date, as well as a higher rating for hearing loss.

The Board denied initial ratings in excess of 30 percent for generalized anxiety disorder, and in excess of 20 percent for a lumbosacral strain (back disability) and cervical strain (neck disability), as well as separate ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy. A rating of 30 percent was granted for the neck disability starting from May 22, 2022.

The Board granted service connection for multiple shoulder, knee, and hip disabilities as well as increased ratings for cervical spine DDD, upper extremity radiculopathy, lumbosacral strain, and tension headaches.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for a left shoulder strain s/p rotator cuff tear, while remanding claims for service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, aortic aneurysm, and right wrist conditions.

The Board granted service connection for cervical and lumbar conditions, chronic migraines, and MDD. The claims for hives, lung scarring, elbow and ankle conditions as secondary to Valley Fever were readjudicated based on new evidence.

The Board remands the service connection claims for a cervical spine disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of a herniated cervical disc to obtain additional evidence and a medical examination.

The Board denied a compensable rating for the service-connected tenia pedis and onychomycosis bilateral feet, denied earlier effective dates for increased ratings and service connection, and remanded several claims for further development.

The Board remands the claims for a neck disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy to obtain an adequate VA examination.

The Veteran's service connection for generalized anxiety disorder was granted, while several other claims for increased ratings were denied. A 10 percent rating was also granted for certain scars starting from September 24, 2021.

The Board denied service connection for a neck disability, back disability, and bilateral knee disability as the evidence did not support current diagnoses or a nexus to in-service events.

The Board denied the claims for increased ratings and remanded a service connection claim, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or establish service connection.

The Board grants service connection for various disabilities, including degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, cervical arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome, posterior neck scar, neurological impairments of all extremities, hypopharyngeal mucosa laceration with residual dysphagia and esophagus dysfunction, neurogenic bowel dysfunction, neurogenic bladder dysfunction, and erectile dysfunction, as secondary to service-connected spinal disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various conditions, including impotence, headaches, cervical spine degenerative joint disease, and peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities.

The Board denied service connection for various claimed disabilities, including right and left knee replacements, ankle sprains, neck strain, lumbosacral strain, rotator cuff tear, shoulder dislocation, and sleep apnea, as the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a neck disability, left shoulder disability, and bilateral vision disability due to a procedural defect in the Veteran's November 2017 Notice of Disagreement.

The claims for a rating in excess of 30 percent for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and a rating in excess of 20 percent for a thoracolumbar spine disability, characterized as degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis, are remanded due to inadequate VA medical opinions.

The Board granted service connection for cervical spine, right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, left knee, and lumbar spine conditions based on the evidence being in approximate balance regarding their etiological relation to active-duty service.