Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus in his right ear and granted a 20 percent rating for degenerative facet joint L5-S1 with bulge, lordosis, and spondylosis (back condition). The other issues were not addressed as the appeal was not about service connection at all.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such nature and severity as to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, thus the Board finds that he is unemployable.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities as of January 21, 2005, and therefore grants an effective date of January 21, 2005 for TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to November 17, 2010 is being remanded due to the need for referral to the Director of Compensation and Pension Services for extraschedular consideration.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right shoulder, cervical spine, and lumbar spine disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and vocational rehabilitation documents. He needs to be provided with a proper VCAA notice letter addressing how to establish service connection on a secondary basis.

The Veteran's current neuropathy in his bilateral upper extremities is being remanded for additional development to determine its relationship to his service-connected neck disability or any other event in service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disorders due to incomplete records from private providers. The Veteran is requested to provide authorizations for these providers so that all relevant treatment records can be obtained.

The Veteran's cervical cancer residuals have been denied, and the issues of right knee patellofemoral syndrome and left knee patellofemoral syndrome are also denied. The Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for her cervical cancer residuals, an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for her right knee patellofemoral syndrome from September 4, 2009 to June 21, 2011, or an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for her left knee patellofemoral syndrome.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for residuals of a chest injury, lumbar spine disability, and cervical spine disability was granted. The rating assigned is 0% (noncompensable) for each condition.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine strain post injury with headaches and radiculopathy, left upper extremity, have not been rated higher than the current 10 percent disability ratings.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his right ankle disability and the etiology of his left upper extremity disorder.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal on the issues of service connection for right rotator cuff tendinopathy, cervical spine osteoarthritis, thoracolumbar spine osteoarthritis, and left and right leg cramps.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for lumbar myositis, cervical myositis, and right hip trochanteric bursitis were denied. The maximum assigned rating of 20% was granted for the service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for C5-6 posttraumatic cervical spondylosis and degenerative disc disease was denied, as his range of motion did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation. His claim for service connection for a low back condition was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for an extra-schedular rating and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support entitlement to an extra-schedular rating, as no unusual or exceptional disability picture had been demonstrated. For TDIU, the combined evaluation of 80% met the minimum requirements but the Veteran's service-connected disabilities were deemed insufficient for a finding of unemployability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's IBS was granted a 10 percent rating from February 1, 2005 to April 12, 2010 and is not entitled to higher ratings. The Veteran's cervical spine DJD received a 10 percent rating from February 1, 2005 to April 12, 2010 and is not entitled to higher ratings.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, right knee, and left knee based on continuity of symptomatology during active duty.