Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2025

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD but granted individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board remanded several claims for service connection and initial ratings, including cervical spine degenerative arthritis with strain, left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy middle radicular group as secondary to cervical spine degenerative arthritis with strain, peripheral neuropathy of the left hand, peripheral neuropathy of the right hand, lumbosacral strain, a left knee scar, and a right knee scar. The appeal for TDIU was dismissed as moot.

The Board denied entitlement to higher disability ratings for chronic sinusitis, low back disability, cervical spine disability, radiculopathy right upper extremity, and thoracolumbar spine scar. The Board also remanded service connection claims for left and right knee disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder condition secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left shoulder disability, but remanded claims for cervical strain and lumbosacral strain due to insufficient evidence.

The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder, lumbar spine, and cervical spine disability but denied service connection for depression, hypertension, and diabetes.

The appeal for a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD was denied, while other claims were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and cervical strain, denied earlier effective dates for left knee strain, right knee strain with arthritis, and hepatitis B, and denied a higher rating for hepatitis B. The appeal of duty-to-assist errors was dismissed.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for right little finger disability, back disability, and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for neck disability due to cervical spine surgery as a pre-decisional duty to assist error has been identified.

The Veteran's GERD was granted a 60 percent disability rating, and the June 15, 2020 VA Form 10182 for service connection claims was accepted as timely due to good cause shown.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including a cervical spine condition, low back condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, right ankle condition, right hip condition, urinary frequency, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to obtain additional evidence.

The appeal of the duty to assist error identified in the November 2023 rating decision is dismissed, and the rating reduction from 10 percent to 20 percent for the service-connected back disability was improper, with restoration granted.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis and a neck disability, to include degenerative arthritis, cervical spondylosis, neuroforaminal narrowing with upper extremity radiculopathy, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), and mechanical cervical pain syndrome, as additional evidence has been received since the last decision.

The Board remands the claims for an increased rating for cervical spine degenerative joint and disc disease with history of myofascitis and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to September 12, 2014, for further development.

The Board granted a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's neck disability prior to June 20, 2018, and separate evaluations for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy prior to January 7, 2016.

The Board denied service connection for a neck disability and a back disability (other than stooped posture) as it is less likely than not that these conditions began during or were otherwise caused by the Veteran's active service.

The Board granted service connection for multiple myeloma with plasmacytoma on cervical spine and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, as secondary to the Veteran's multiple myeloma.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine condition, finding no current disability. The thoracolumbar spine condition was remanded due to an inadequate medical opinion.

The Board granted service connection for major depressive disorder (MDD) and denied an increased disability rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine condition, finding that the Veteran's neck disability is related to an in-service parachute landing fall accident.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's neck disability and a rating in excess of 20 percent for right brachial neuritis, but granted a 40 percent rating for left brachial neuritis.