Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board granted service connection for a neck disability and an initial 50 percent rating, but not higher, prior to September 7, 2021, for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. The remaining claims were denied or remanded.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy, while remanding claims for other conditions including the neck, knees, leg pain, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and pes planus.

The Board granted restoration of a 20 percent rating for cervical spine strain and lumbosacral strain, effective February 7, 2022, as the reduction in ratings was not proper. The Board also remanded entitlement to higher ratings for both conditions.

The Board granted service connection for right shoulder strain, left shoulder strain, and cervical strain, and increased the rating for lumbosacral strain to 40 percent. The claim for a higher rating for the right knee was remanded.

The Board granted service connection for cervical strain and left shoulder disability, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board denied service connection for erectile dysfunction and denied higher ratings for various service-connected disabilities, including mental disability, headaches, radiculopathy, cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and left shoulder.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for cervical strain and a left arm disability, to include left arm sling palsy, tendinosis, and subacromial impingement, as additional evidence is needed.

The Board remands the claim for a cervical spine disability, to include as secondary to service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, for further development and consideration.

The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the November 2019 rating decision on appeal.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for insomnia disorder, cervical strain, and left shoulder strain. The reduction of the right shoulder strain rating from 30% to 20% was deemed proper.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left foot disability, a neck disability, and entitlement to a total disability based on individual unemployability.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder degenerative changes, left shoulder degenerative changes, neck disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and left hand arthritis as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, which is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dismissed the appeal for a neck disability due to the Veteran's withdrawal of that claim.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including left elbow strain, right elbow strain, left knee strain, right knee strain, cervical strain, lumbosacral strain, left hip strain, right hip strain, left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain, left upper extremity nerve disability secondary to cervical strain, obstructive sleep apnea, and a cardiac disability.

The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine condition, right hip condition, left shoulder condition, and cervical spine condition based on the evidence being in approximate balance as to whether these conditions are due to service.

The Board denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome and dismissed the appeals for service connection for tinnitus, a cervical spine disability, left and right hip disabilities, and a right shoulder disability due to untimely notice of disagreement.

The Board remands the claims for a cervical strain and bilateral knee disabilities to correct pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining additional medical examinations.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, lumbar spine, and cervical spine disabilities as there was a lack of compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran was granted a 40 percent disability rating for the lumbar spine and a 30 percent rating for the cervical spine, but these ratings were not increased. The Veteran's claim for TDIU from June 17, 2021, was also granted.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, left leg disability (meralgia paresthetica and radiculopathy), left eye disability (cataracts, other than scar), cardiac disability, and cervical spine disability.