Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy. The disabilities are found to be related to his service-connected schizophrenia.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of migraine headaches, cervical strain, and chronic epididymitis and bilateral varicoceles are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, neck disability, low back disability, right hip disability, heart disability, and residuals of strokes are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical strain, left shoulder strain, right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, and cervical headaches have been granted. The Board found that the evidence is approximately balanced as to whether these conditions had their onset in service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claims for service connection for lower back/spinal and cervical spine conditions, but has remanded both issues for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is at least as likely as not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected insomnia, cervical strain with degenerative disc disease, and thoracolumbar strain disabilities. Therefore, the claim for secondary service connection for sleep apnea is granted.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 60 percent for his cervical discectomy condition is denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show unfavorable ankylosis or functional equivalent of ankylosis, and thus a higher rating was not warranted. For the TDIU claim, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's neck disability. The case will be returned for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, neck disability, left and right ankle disabilities, left and right hip disabilities, sleep disturbances, and mental disorder are all being remanded due to insufficient evidence of current disabilities or causation.

The Veteran meets the criteria for a certificate of eligibility in purchasing an automobile and adaptive equipment due to permanent loss of use of his lower extremities from service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of various disabilities, including right and left ankle degenerative joint disease, elbow degenerative joint disease, shoulder degenerative joint disease, lower extremity radiculopathy, lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, cervical spine degenerative changes, upper extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral calcaneal spurs. The effective dates for these disabilities were set at February 6, 2017.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for headache and cervical spine disorders have been dismissed due to the appellant withdrawing his appeal.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal for service connection of neck disability, psychiatric disorder, hysterectomy, and tinnitus before the Board could make a decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left hip, right hip, and neck disabilities. The Veteran was not diagnosed with any of these conditions during his military service or post-service treatment records.,For PTSD, the Board found that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating than 50 percent prior to April 25, 2023, and 70 percent thereafter.

The Board has denied service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, and cervical spine disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions began during or were aggravated by active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities due to inadequate reasoning in a previous VA opinion. The case is now pending with instructions to provide a new examination or addendum opinion that addresses the January 2016 VA primary care provider's statement about aggravation, as well as lay statements from the Veteran's family members.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for new evaluations of his right shoulder, cervical spine, and radiculopathy conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a cervical spine condition due to insufficient medical evidence and the need for a VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for neck and back disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service.,Service connection was granted for diffuse muscle pain due to a MUCMI.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, including degenerative arthritis of the spine and DDD of the thoracolumbar and cervical spine with sensory neuropathy and radiculopathy (claimed as nerve disorder/neurological signs and symptoms), is presumed to have existed prior to service. The Board found no clear and unmistakable evidence that any increase in severity occurred during service, thus denying service connection.