Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the current nature and etiology of any cervical spine disorder or bilateral shoulder disorder, as well as whether these conditions are related to service. The Veteran's claims will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine was manifested as compensably disabling within one year of separation from active duty. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims were denied across multiple conditions and issues, with no new evidence provided to reopen any of the service connection claims.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diverticulosis has been granted. The Board finds that there is competent and probative medical evidence of record suggesting a relationship between the Veteran's current disability and his active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability has been reopened, but the evidence does not establish that he currently suffers from this condition. The Veteran is also seeking an increased evaluation for his residuals of a left ring finger laceration, which remains at 10%.,There is no established bilateral hearing loss or cervical spine disability, and the Veteran's complaints of unspecified joint stiffness are attributed to a recent injury.

The Board has remanded the claims due to incomplete medical records and the need for further examination to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's sleep impairment, eye disorder, and service-connected sinusitis with cluster headaches.

The Veteran's current back disability, cervical and thoracic disc syndrome, was incurred in active military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service and thus denied all of his claims.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to address his claims for separate compensable disability evaluations for neurological manifestations of service-connected degenerative joint and disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine involving the lower extremities, and disc disease of the cervical spine involving the upper extremities.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty military service. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against the claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination reports and the need for additional VA treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected neurological disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's cervical spine DDD has been rated at 20 percent since February 13, 2009. The VA examiner found that the Veteran was not able to perform repetitive use testing with at least three repetitions due to severe pain and stiffness caused by his neck condition.

The Board has directed that additional medical opinions be obtained regarding the service connection claims for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, which are secondary to a service-connected left ankle disability. The case is being remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the claims of service connection and increased ratings, as well as all related issues. The appeal is dismissed.

The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus and cervical spine disability are service-connected due to exposure to noise during service, with no in-service diagnosis or chronic symptoms. The current diagnoses of tinnitus and degenerative joint disease were considered presumptively related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a link between his current skin conditions and his military service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability is being remanded due to the submission of new private chiropractic treatment records. The case will be reviewed and an updated opinion based on this evidence will be requested.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development to obtain service treatment records and verify all periods of ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA, as well as any line of duty investigations. The TDIU claim will be deferred until these issues are resolved.