Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis, right knee osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine. The Veteran's sleep apnea is also now considered service-connected.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder, finding that his current diagnosis is at least as likely as not caused by his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new and relevant evidence received since the July 2017 statement of the case. The cervical spine condition claim is related back to in-service neck pain, while the bilateral radiculopathy claim requires additional VA examination and private medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives. The VA examiners provided opinions based on a lack of evidence, without fully considering the Veteran's lay statements.

The Board denied service connection for an upper back/cervical spine disorder, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy.,There is no current evidence of a diagnosed condition for the claimed disorders.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical strain. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral knee disability, low back disability, cervical spine (neck) disability, vertigo (dizziness), and eye disability are not service-connected for accrued benefits purposes.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's cervical spine disability is secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine DDD.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including hypertension, skin disorder, sleep apnea, arthritis of the cervical spine, arthritis of the left knee, arthritis of the right hip, and removal of gall bladder, all allegedly due to exposure during Project SHAD. The Board found that there was no clear evidence of specific health effects associated with Project SHAD participation.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity radiculopathy, chronic fatigue, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, headaches, and a hysterectomy. The Veteran's bilateral foot disability is also found to be related to her service.

The Board has granted service connection for low back disability and cervical spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his active service.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the award of service connection and initial ratings for radiculopathy of the right and left upper extremities were denied. The Board found that it was not factually ascertainable that the Veteran had radiculopathy during the one-year prior to his November 1, 2020 claim.,The effective date for the award of service connection and initial ratings for radiculopathy of the right and left upper extremities is denied.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, headaches, lumbar spine disability, and fibromyalgia are all found to be related to her military service.,Service connection is granted for the Veteran's cervical spine disability, headaches, lumbar spine disability, and fibromyalgia.

The Veteran's cervical spine condition is granted as secondary to his service-connected fibromyalgia. The Veteran's spondylosis/degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine claim is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and bilateral hips disability due to new and material evidence submitted within one year of the August 2017 rating decision. The RO must readjudicate these claims on their merits.

The Board has dismissed the appeal of the character of discharge issue in the modernized appeals framework as it was already reviewed and remanded for development by the Board.

The Board has found that the VA examinations for the Veteran's cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and right upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities are inadequate due to a lack of range-of-motion testing during flares. The claims are being remanded for new VA examinations to address these issues.

The Veteran's right elbow tenosynovitis is granted service connection. The issues of left hand disability and bilateral hearing loss have been withdrawn from appeal.

The Veteran is eligible for special monthly compensation (SMC) prior to December 5, 2019 and from July 1, 2021 due to his cervical spine disability. His other service-connected disabilities have a total combined rating of 60 percent or more.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.