Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's disabilities do not permit training to begin within a reasonable period; thus, achievement of a vocational goal is infeasible at this time.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, as well as failure to establish a plausible or capable claim for PTSD and a neck/cervical spine condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for his hearing loss, cervical spine condition, left shoulder arthritis, and right wrist disability. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The VA has determined that the veteran's cervical spine disability, diagnosed as Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for basal cell carcinoma due to exposure to ionizing radiation and for cervical plexus neuralgia with traumatic arthritis of the cervical spine and psychophysiologic musculoskeletal disorder, as well as his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability. The decision also noted that new evidence had reopened his claim for service connection for basal cell carcinoma.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for back, neck, and left knee disabilities due to new evidence submitted since the final denial in October 1996. The Board finds that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical spine disability is not service-connected and his claim for an increased evaluation of his lumbar spine disability remains denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, gastroenteritis, right ankle disorder, and vaginitis are well-grounded. The claim for tuberculosis is not well-grounded.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection due to new and material evidence submitted. However, it was determined that these multiple orthopedic disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his death, and thus the claim for service connection for the cause of death is well-grounded.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, finding that the objective clinical evidence does not support an increase in disability ratings.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the left elbow, lumbosacral spine (neck), cervical spine, right hand, and both shoulders. The issues raised were whether new and material evidence had been presented to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for these conditions, as well as his claim for service connection for arthritis of the left hand and left foot.

The veteran's claim for reimbursement or payment of the cost of unauthorized medical services is granted as he was treated at a private hospital due to an emergency cardiac condition, and no VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder impingement and bursitis, tension headaches, and a cervical spine disorder are well grounded. The evidence supports these findings.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim of service connection for cervical strain. The claim for a right shoulder disorder is denied as there is no competent evidence of a current disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder, chest and scapular pain is a result of surgery performed in service to correct his congenital absence of the right pectoral muscle. The claim for higher evaluation for his chronic muscular strain lower cervical and upper dorsal spine with degenerative changes of the cervical spine was denied as there is no evidence of aggravation during service or any increase in severity post-service.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well-grounded, and denied them.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected conditions were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral disc and joint disease, a 10 percent rating for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, or any other condition.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim of service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding no competent medical evidence linking his current condition to his period of active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the cervical and lumbar spine, as well as his increased rating claims for right leg shell fragment wound residuals and PTSD. The Board found that there was no direct evidence linking these conditions to service or events occurring therein.