Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a service-connected disability, and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The veteran's chronic disabilities, including a psychiatric condition, cervical spine disorder, lumbosacral spine disorder, eye disorder, and headaches, meet the schedular requirements for non-service-connected pension purposes. The Board finds that he is permanently and totally disabled for VA pension purposes.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for PTSD and found new and material evidence. However, it determined that there is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current cervical spine disorder to his period of active duty service. The claim for a higher rating for lumbosacral strain remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for a hearing before a member of the Board.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for bilateral hearing loss and found that no new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for cervical spine arthritis with cervical disc herniation and lumbar degenerative arthritis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's degenerative joint and disc disease of the cervical spine is related to his in-service motor vehicle accident, granting service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a neck disability is denied as there is no evidence of current or past medical records indicating the presence of such a condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's submission of a VA Form 9 to the Board in September 1999 constituted a timely substantive appeal as to his claim for a compensable evaluation for service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. The issues regarding cervical spine, thoracotomy with excision of tuberculoma right lung, and tender scar are still pending.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disorder, cervical spine disorder, and lumbar spine disorder. Service connection was denied for a heart disorder.

The veteran's claims for service connection for head injury with headaches, blepharoconjunctivitis, prostatitis and epididymitis, and left ear otitis media were denied. The claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the cervical spine was granted.

The Board found that the veteran's chronic cervical spine disability was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service.

The veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently evaluated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that a higher evaluation is not warranted. The thoracic and cervical spine disabilities are each rated as noncompensable. The impingement syndrome of the right shoulder, GERD, and right ear hearing loss are all rated appropriately.

The Board finds that the veteran's cervical spine disability is not related to service and denies his claim for service connection. The issue of reopening a claim for bilateral knee disability was also denied.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for sinusitis and granted an increased rating of 30 percent for a cervical spine disorder. The propriety of the initial evaluation for PTSD was also addressed, but as noted in the decision summary, this issue has been resolved.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluation and service connection were denied. The Board found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for an increased rating for his pes planus, and that he did not have valley fever with pulmonary obstructive disease or any other condition related to military service.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder and an increased rating for the lumbar spine disability, but granted an effective date of December 15, 1997 for the 40 percent rating.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disorder and an increased evaluation for cervical strain. The veteran's claim for total disability based on individual unemployability was also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for cervical degenerative joint disease and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The veteran's pre-existing left heel condition was aggravated by his military service. The Board granted service connection for the residuals of a left heel fracture on this basis. However, the veteran's claim for higher evaluations for his cervical spine disability prior to February 25, 1998, and since that date, were both denied.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection of a cervical spine disability and found that new evidence submitted by the veteran is sufficient to reopen his previously denied claim.