Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar and cervical spine disabilities have been rated as they are, with no additional ratings granted.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current back disability and denied his claim for service connection for a cervical disability.

The veteran's cervical spine disability is currently rated at 60 percent, the highest available rating under the amended criteria for evaluating intervertebral disc syndrome. The claim was granted.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and PTSD, finding that there is no evidence of chronic conditions during or within one year after service. The VA examiner opined that any current cervical spine disabilities are not related to service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including pinguecula of the eyes and old soft tissue trauma of the posterior scalp, were denied. The Board found no current disabilities related to these issues.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current left foot disability related to service and his cervical spine degenerative disc disease is not shown to be directly related to service. Therefore, both claims for service connection are denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, sinusitis, neck disability, back disability, and left foot disability as there is no current evidence of these conditions or a relationship to military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical spine disability warrants a single 40 percent evaluation, effective September 23, 2002.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, including degenerative disc disease (DDD), finding that there was no objective evidence of an injury to the neck in service. The new evidence submitted since the September 1979 decision does not establish a direct or secondary relationship between the veteran's current condition and his military service.

The veteran's combined evaluation for nonservice-connected disabilities is 50 percent disabling, which does not meet the criteria for a pension award. The RO found that the veteran was not unemployable due to his current nonservice-connected conditions and therefore denied his claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current cervical spine disability and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has determined that the current back disability may be proximately caused by a VA physical therapy treatment in August 2000, but an examination is needed to determine if it was due to the veteran's own fault or negligence. The case will be remanded for further development.

The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's cervical spine disability, numbness of the left hand, and numbness of the right hand. The claim to reopen a service connection claim for a right knee disorder was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a neck disability, left shoulder disability, or left elbow disability that is related to service. The right shoulder disability is currently rated at 40% due to moderate incomplete paralysis of the upper radicular group (C5-6).

The veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran's neck injuries, airway obstruction, dysphonia, and dysphagia are not service-connected.,Service connection for herpes zoster with neurological deficits is also denied.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected due to noise exposure during military service. Service connection is also granted for bleeding esophageal varices, but not related to the service-connected gastrointestinal reaction. The low back and cervical spine disabilities are not service-connected.

The veteran's claims for an increased rating and service connection were denied. The RO found that the right knee disability did not warrant a higher rating, and there was no evidence linking his cervical spine or left hip conditions to his service-connected right knee condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding whether the veteran's current cervical spine condition is related to service.