Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, finding no evidence of a cervical spine disorder related to service and insufficient evidence supporting higher disability ratings.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities are being remanded to allow for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling the veteran for a VA examination.

The Board found that the veteran's current disabilities were not caused by a VA examination, and thus denied his claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board found no evidence linking hepatitis C, depression, or cervical spine degenerative disc disease to service and denied the claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran became unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities as of September 15, 1992. The effective date for the TDIU is set at September 15, 1992.

The Board has granted a temporary total rating for the veteran's service-connected residuals of cervical strain under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 4.29 based upon hospitalizations between July 20 and August 11, 1993 and November 1 and November 26, 1993.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of notification for a VA examination, and the need to ensure compliance with the Veterans Assistance Claims Act (VCAA).

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues of service connection and rating for his spine disabilities are pending.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current back and neck disabilities to service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed, including obtaining the veteran's reserve medical and personnel records from his period of service in the U.S. Army Reserve (1976-1995), scheduling a VA examination to determine if his current cervical spine disability had its onset during service, and then re-adjudicating the claims.

The Board has granted service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine. The veteran's right lower extremity disability and cervical spine disability are also found to be related to service, but further development is needed as there is ambiguity regarding their specific nature.

The veteran's right elbow disorder is rated at 10 percent, and he has a combined evaluation of 80 percent from his service-connected disabilities. The Board finds that the evidence does not support an increased rating for the right elbow disorder. However, the veteran's multiple service-connected conditions collectively preclude him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for service-connected left shoulder strain, right great toe strain, and patellofemoral pain syndrome of the left knee. The issues of disability evaluations for cervical and lumbosacral strain and service connection for chest pain are remanded to the RO.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for payment of $1,280.17 in unauthorized medical expenses incurred on April 2, 2002 due to her service-connected postoperative cervical cancer.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability related to his service, except for left knee osteophyte and chondromalacia which is presumed due to trauma from active duty service. The other conditions are either not shown to be related to service or were not found by the RO in their initial decision.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including an orthopedic examination and a dental examination. The issues of service connection for cervical and lumbosacral spine disabilities are pending.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the veteran's claims of service connection for back and neck disabilities, as the newly submitted evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for low back disorder and cervical spine disorder, finding no nexus to service. The skin disorder claim is not addressed as it does not involve a service connection issue.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have a distinct left leg disorder, loss of use of legs, or right arm disorder. The symptomatology claimed as left leg disorder and loss of use of legs is related to his service-connected lumbar spine disability. The symptomatology claimed as right arm disorder is related to his non-service-connected cervical spine disorder.

The Board found that the veteran's spinal disability, characterized as osteoarthritis of the cervical spine, is not related to his service. The veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome was also not related to his service.