Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board has ordered additional development of the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and cervical spine disorders due to a missed VA examination. The case is now remanded for further action.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disorder, brainstem disorder, and headache disorder. The RO must obtain supplemental opinions from the VA examiners who provided the May 2012 opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The appeals were not about service connection at all, but rather focused on evaluations of existing conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired disability of the cervix, including cervical polyps and nabothian cysts as well as cervicitis. The Veteran is also granted a higher initial rating of 50 percent for migraine and tension headaches.

The Board denied reopening and granting service connection for a back disability, including DDD of lumbosacral spine and a history of cervical spine injury, as new and material evidence was not submitted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical and lumbar spine disorders are not related to her in-service motor vehicle accidents, and therefore service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed cervical spine, low back, bilateral upper extremity neurological, and bilateral lower extremity neurological disabilities are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was noted at entry into service and is presumed to have existed prior to service. It was not aggravated by military service.,Left ear hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may it be presumed to have been incurred in service.,Seizure disorder was not diagnosed during the appeal period.,PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and is not considered a compensable disability for VA purposes.,Tinnitus was not related to service. Lung disability, including granulomatous disease and bilateral pulmonary nodules, was also not related to service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service.,Thoracolumbar spine disability and cervical spine disability are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including malaria, a respiratory disorder, a cervical spine disorder, neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities, right and left eye disorders, fibromyalgia and musculoskeletal pain, bilateral knee disorders, right ear hearing loss, and left ear hearing loss. The Board found that the evidence did not support these claims.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability and granted it, finding that new and material evidence was received to reopen the claim. The Veteran's current cervical spine disability is found to be related to an in-service motor vehicle accident.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine was not found to warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent prior to February 5, 2009.,From February 5, 2009, the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to a change in the hearing officer and the Veteran's request for a video conference hearing.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection are being remanded due to inadequate examinations in the June 2008 VA joints examination.,The Veteran's claim of a temporary total disability rating is also being remanded.

The Board has ordered a remand to attempt to obtain records of hospitalization at the Nuremberg Army Hospital in Germany, where the Veteran asserts he was treated for a back injury during service. The appeal is currently pending and will be reconsidered based on any additional evidence.

The Board has ordered additional development for the appellant's claims, including obtaining his service medical records and arranging for examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities. The case will be returned to the RO/AMC for further consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection of his left shoulder injury, cervical strain, and laceration of the left hand should be remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and consideration. The claims are also inextricably intertwined with a claim for an initial rating higher than 0 percent for the laceration scar on his left hand.

The Veteran's increased ratings for chronic lower back strain with degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbar spine, as well as initial increased rating for degenerative disc and joint disease of the cervical spine, were granted effective November 23, 2011.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his service-connected disabilities were denied. The VA determined that the evidence did not meet the criteria for increased evaluations.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and cervical spine, as well as TDIU, were denied. The current ratings for these conditions are considered appropriate.