Neck / cervical spine decisions — 2026

The Veteran's status post left inguinal hernia repair is rated as noncompensable, with no recurrence of the condition.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied due to lack of continuity of symptomatology from service or in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for broken left leg, left knee replacement, cervical spine condition, and back surgery were all denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.,The Veteran's right ankle condition with Achilles tendonitis and right foot condition have not been readjudicated due to lack of new and relevant evidence.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to concurrent election of review options.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 30 percent, and the ratings for radiculopathy of both upper extremities are denied. The appeal is not about service connection but rather about rating determinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings due to insufficient retrospective medical opinions addressing additional functional loss during flareups and with repeated use over time. The VA needs to obtain new addendum opinions for both cervical spine and low back disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, left hip arthritis, right hip arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, and right knee degenerative arthritis. The conditions are deemed to be directly related to the Veteran's parachute jumps during active duty.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is being remanded for further development to determine its nature and etiology, including consideration of in-service events and symptoms.

The Board has granted an initial 30 percent disability rating for cervical strain, effective July 20, 2011. The Veteran's symptoms during flare-ups resulted in a reduced range of motion to zero degrees.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates were denied. The assigned evaluations for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, bilateral knee meniscal tears with degenerative arthritis (limitation of flexion), right knee meniscal tear with degenerative arthritis, bilateral knee meniscal tears with degenerative arthritis (limitation of extension), residuals of cold injury of the bilateral hands with multi-joint disease and paresthesias, and posttraumatic stress disorder were all denied.,For PTSD, the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date was granted but his evaluation remained at 50 percent disabling prior to March 14, 2025, and increased to 70 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative disc disease is rated at 30 percent prior to October 6, 2022. From October 6, 2022, a higher rating of over 30 percent is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the severity of the Veteran's cervical spine and upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities.

The Veteran's tension headaches, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and left lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) are all granted as secondary to service-connected cervical spine disability. The claims for these conditions have been resolved in the Veteran's favor.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and the need for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's cervical spine spondylosis and spinal straightening, as well as his cervicogenic headaches, are found to have originated during active service. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional efforts are needed to obtain the Veteran's service treatment records and VA treatment records, which may provide relevant information for the claims of service connection. The case is therefore being remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran's neck disability is granted as service connected, and her left knee pain claim is remanded for further examination.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities due to a lack of VA examination, which is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal regarding his eligibility for the Program for Comprehensive Assistance for Caregivers (PCAFC) is being remanded due to inadequate notice and compliance with regulatory requirements. The Board will adjudicate whether he meets criteria for personal care services, best interests of participation, and other pertinent criteria.

The Veteran's cervical spondylosis with intervertebral disc syndrome and degenerative arthritis is rated at 10 percent prior to February 14, 2025 and in excess of 30 percent thereafter. The Board has decided to remand the case for further evaluation.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to support the Veteran's claims for service connection, but the claims are being remanded due to deficiencies in the medical opinions provided.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of hypertension, sinus disorder, and pneumonia have been dismissed as untimely.,Restoration of the 10% ratings for right hip strain and right knee sprain from February 13, 2024 has also been dismissed as moot.