Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board finds that there is no credible evidence linking the Veteran's current cervical spine and low back disabilities to her military service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected cervical strain, bilateral hand rash, and bilateral foot disabilities.

The Veteran's unauthorized private medical expenses incurred during his rehabilitation care from May 28, 2009, to June 9, 2009, are not eligible for payment or reimbursement because the treatment was not related to a service-connected disability and did not constitute an emergency requiring immediate attention.

The Board denied claims for service connection for paranoid personality disorder and spina bifida of the cervical spine, claimed as a spinal cord injury in November 1962. The Veteran's new and material evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for chest pain (excluding CAD), epididymitis, and epididymal/scrotal cyst. The issues of service connection for hypertension, depression, coronary artery disease, gastrointestinal disability, and back disability are being decided on their merits.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete VA medical opinions and referral of the issue of an extraschedular rating for bilateral claw feet with tarsal tunnel syndrome to the Under Secretary for Benefits or Director of Compensation and Pension Service. The Veteran is also required to undergo further examination regarding his cervical spine disorder and bilateral shoulder disorder as secondary to service-connected lumbar degenerative disc disease and/or claw feet.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine disorder and right-sided numbness are related to his military service, granting the claims for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The case will be returned to the RO for scheduling a new hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine disability and headache disability were not incurred in or aggravated by his active service.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to his request for a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The issues include reopening and denying service connection for low back or lumbosacral spine disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and neck or cervical spine disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, right knee disability (status post right arthroplasty), and left knee disability are related to his military service. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's neck disorder, including cervical spine degenerative disc disease, was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and could not be presumed to be due to an undiagnosed illness. The Board also determined that it was not proximately caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's right hip, left hip, and cervical spine disorders are not related to his active service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current left shoulder disability that was incurred or aggravated by service, and the cervical spine disability is not shown to be aggravated during service.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's service, and thus denied his claims for service connection for cervical spine disorder and thoracolumbar spine disorder.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a cervical spine disability, as none of the provided evidence related to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim. The Veteran's current cervical spine disability was conceded by the RO but deemed unrelated to military service.

The Veteran's claims for various disabilities, including a neck disability and related symptoms, are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his in-patient records from service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical and lumbar spines, peripheral neuropathy, and skin cancer have been denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his active military service. The Board found that the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam or on inland waterways where he could be presumed exposed to herbicides.

The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied reopening of his claim.