Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran does not have a currently diagnosed right shoulder disability, neck disability, low back disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, or left ankle disability.,Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing clarification on whether his service-connected orthopedic disorders alone prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hemorrhoids, eye injury residuals, head injury residuals, neck disorder (spondylosis of cervical spine), and right elbow and right hand disorder (degenerative joint disease). The evidence did not establish a direct link between these conditions and active duty service.

The Board finds that there is no medical or X-ray evidence of a cervical spine disorder during service or within one year of service. The preponderance of the evidence is against a finding of a nexus between a current cervical spine disability and any incident of service, nor does it support a secondary relationship to a service-connected lumbar spine condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and procedural development.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a low back injury, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and a need for additional medical records from the veteran's private physicians. The issue of whether the veteran's cervical spine disability is related to his military service remains under review.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his bilateral knee and cervical spine disorders, laceration and cellulitis of the left hypothenar area, right bunionectomy, left bunionectomy, DuVries-Mann claw toe operation of the left second toe, and bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to his military service, and the symptoms he reported are not considered chronic or attributable to any known clinical diagnosis.

The veteran's cervical strain and herniated nucleus pulposus at L5 with degenerative joint disease L5-S1 have been rated as 20 percent disabling effective March 6, 2008. The rating is for the entire disability.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further development of her claims, including increased evaluations and service connection for various disabilities. The case will be returned to the Board for further consideration.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current cervical spine disability is related to his in-service injury, and service connection for this condition is granted.

The veteran is seeking compensation under the 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for additional cervical spine disability, which he contends resulted from VA medical treatment provided in June through August 2002. The case has been remanded to obtain a VA examination and opinion regarding whether there was any additional disability resulting from VA carelessness or negligence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right rhomboid sprain with cervical strain and low back disability do not warrant a rating higher than the current assigned ratings of 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The veteran's lumbar strain disability has been rated at 20% since March 21, 2008. His cervical spine and flat feet disabilities remain rated at 10%. The Board granted the increased rating for the lumbar strain.

The veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent, the maximum schedular evaluation for orthopedic manifestations of degenerative disc disease. The claim for an earlier effective date was withdrawn by the appellant.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of her service-connected disabilities, including a spine and feet examination.

The Board denied service connection for a disability of the cervical segment of the spine, finding that there was no evidence linking the current condition to military service.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims for service connection for DDD of the cervical and lumbar spine and impotency.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of a skin disorder due to herbicide exposure, or significant impairment in the joints and gastrointestinal system that would warrant higher ratings.