Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete records and need for medical opinions regarding his cervical and lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a cervical spine disability and is granting this benefit. The Veteran now has evidence that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate his claim, specifically linking any current cervical spine disabilities to service.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining consent forms and medical opinions regarding whether his August 2006 surgeries caused any additional disabilities.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right knee disability, diagnosed as degenerative joint disease (DJD) status post arthroscopy with partial medial meniscectomy, is secondary to his service-connected right ankle disability. The preponderance of evidence does not show that the Veteran had presumptive exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange, nor is there probative evidence of exposure to such. As for diabetes mellitus type II, the Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding of service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicides.

The Board has determined that additional efforts are needed to obtain the Veteran's service treatment records, which may be held by various entities including his Reserve units and hospitals in Korea and Japan. The case is therefore being remanded for these actions.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was noted at entry into service but not diagnosed or treated during active duty. The cervical and lumbar spine disabilities were not diagnosed until after separation from service, and the Board finds that there is insufficient evidence to establish a connection with service.

The Veteran is granted service connection for a headache disability and a cervical spine disability.,Compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for the claimed disabilities will not be granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues currently pending before the Board.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were granted, with the right knee instability rated at 10 percent and the cervical osteoarthritis rated at 20 percent. The diabetes mellitus claim was not addressed as it is a separate issue.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient reasoning and lack of a VA medical opinion. The case is returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, as his combined rating is 80 percent. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of unemployability solely due to these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, as there was a communication error regarding periods of incapacitation during the last examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and private treatment records from C. Phillips, as well as a new VA examination to address his psychiatric disorder claim.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his cervical spine disability was denied. However, he received separate ratings of 30 percent and 20 percent for neuropathy in the right and left upper extremities associated with his cervical spine disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's migraine headaches, cervical spine disability, and chronic fatigue syndrome are not related to service. The claims for these conditions have been remanded for further development.

The Board has granted a 20 percent evaluation for IVDS of the cervical spine from April 23, 2013. Prior to this date, the Veteran was rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of a cervical spine disability, granted a 10 percent rating for the low back disability from May 4, 2006 to February 23, 2011, and a 20 percent rating since then, and denied service connection for tinnitus.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral eye disorder, cervical spine disorder (secondary to service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine), right knee disorder (secondary to service-connected left knee scar), and acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found no direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including obtaining information about the Veteran's Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities.