Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee, neck, low back, and left hip disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing a relationship between these conditions and his active military service.,There is no medical evidence or lay testimony indicating that any of the Veteran’s current disabilities are related to his time in service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for residuals of cervical fracture and fusion is denied as his disability does not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 20 percent.

The Veteran's cervical myelopathy is remanded for further examination and opinion to determine if it is related to service or secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining treatment records from a correctional facility and scheduling another VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it requires additional information from the Veteran.

The Veteran's cervical and lumbosacral strain conditions are found to be related to service, leading to a grant of service connection for both.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims due to inadequate examinations and missing service treatment records. The Veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, and cervical spine disability. A new examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine DDD and DJD are related to his period of service, granting his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding service connection for lumbar disability due to a lack of in-service records and potential pre-existing condition. Service connection is granted for left knee condition and denied for cervical spine disability.

The Board has decided that the case must be remanded due to an inadequate addendum opinion regarding secondary service connection for cervical DDD. The examiner needs to provide a new opinion addressing whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's cervical DDD is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected low back disability.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding service connection claims. The initial rating for neurogenic urinary frequency prior to April 11, 2019 was granted with a 40 percent disability rating. However, the claim for a higher rating for cervical spine degenerative arthritis, stenosis, and IVDS beginning on April 11, 2019 is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and assessments of his service-connected conditions, particularly regarding functional loss during flare-ups.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a pinched nerve of the upper left extremity, to include as due to a cervical spine disability and/or service-connected lumbar stenosis L3-4, L4-5, and L5-S1 with right and left lower extremity radiculitis/radiculopathy, status post decompression and fusion is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine with intervertebral disc syndrome was dismissed as his NOD challenging the denial of this condition was filed before the issuance of the rating decision.

The Veteran's cervical strain disability is not service connected as it did not occur during his active duty and was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition.,For the entire period on appeal, the Veteran's right knee injury manifested with limited motion but without ankylosis, recurrent subluxation, lateral instability, malunion or nonunion of the tibia and fibula, or genu recurvatum. Therefore, he is not entitled to a rating higher than 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, right leg disorder, TBI, and migraine headaches due to a lack of in-service medical records. The Veteran is advised to seek service connection for his hernia separately.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's service connection claims for cervical spine disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder, left ankle DJD, right ankle DJD, left knee DJD, right knee DJD, left shoulder DJD, and right shoulder DJD. The new evidence provided reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.,The Board has also reopened the Veteran's service connection claim for muscle spasm disorder, IBS, and osteoporosis. However, no rating assigned or effective date was determined as these claims are still pending.

The Veteran's appeal regarding an upper back condition is dismissed. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for TBI with intermittent headaches, lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, and a right foot disability.

Effective April 2, 2009, and no earlier, service connection is granted for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity. Effective April 2, 2009, and no earlier, service connection is granted for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. Service connection is granted for a cervical spine disorder to include as secondary to the service-connected lumbar spine disability.