Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including OSA, lumbar degenerative disc disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, and anxiety disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and experience.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical spine, right shoulder, left shoulder, right elbow, left elbow, right wrist, and left wrist disorders. The acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD, depression, and anxiety) is also remanded.

Service connection for a right shoulder disability, thoracic spine disability, and cervical spine disability has been denied.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) is remanded due to lack of current diagnoses.

The Veteran's bladder cancer is related to his military service and granted. The issues of heart disability, diabetes mellitus, neck disability, and hypertension are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical segmental dysfunction and left ankle degenerative arthritis, finding that there is at least a reasonable doubt in favor of these conditions having onset during service. The claim for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for back strain was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board has found that there is a duty to assist error regarding the Veteran's service dates and will need to verify his periods of qualifying service other than from May 1980 to May 1983. The decision on the neck disability claim remains pending.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection of cervical spine, lower back, right ankle, and right wrist disabilities. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and a TDIU is granted for the period prior to October 4, 2021.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and a new medical opinion due to incomplete information regarding the Veteran's in-service stressor, lack of corroboration, and insufficient treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than July 17, 2012 for the grant of service connection for cervical spine DDD/herniation and radiculopathy, right upper extremity.,There was no formal or informal claim filed before July 17, 2012. The Veteran's representative argued that the effective date should go back to May 2007 based on new service treatment records submitted in June 2015.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection awards of cervical spine disability and RUE radiculopathy have been denied.,The Veteran's initial claim for a cervical spine disability was filed on December 9, 2016. The Board found that the date of entitlement arose prior to this date.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of his right hand condition, left shoulder degenerative arthritis, and neck disability. The VA must obtain new medical opinions addressing these issues.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right shoulder disability, neck disability, and hypertension due to inadequate VA medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are related to his service, specifically his active duty as a Crew Chief, In-Flight Refueling Specialist (boom operator), and Aircraft Loadmaster. The appeal is being remanded for further examination and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and left upper extremity radiculopathy due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the onset of these conditions in or related to service. The Veteran is instructed to provide more detail on what is wrong with the April 2021 VA examiner's opinion, and an updated examination will be ordered.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding his claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee condition, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability due to inadequate medical opinions in previous VA examinations. The case is now pending again for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's joint pain and his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are secondary to his service-connected right tibia stress fracture. A new VA examination is needed to clarify these issues.

The appeal for service connection for hypertension is dismissed. The Veteran's bilateral eye condition, including keratoconus and glaucoma, is granted. The claim for an earlier effective date for the PTSD rating is denied as a matter of law. The claims for arthritis of the cervical spine and bilateral pes planus are remanded.