Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to a lack of VA examinations and outstanding treatment records. The Veteran is also being asked to provide releases for any correctional facilities where he was incarcerated, as these records may contain relevant information.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than January 13, 2014 for the award of service connection for impairment of the upper radicular group of the right upper extremity, impairment of the sciatic nerve of the right lower extremity, and impairment of the sciatic nerve of the left lower extremity was granted.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than February 25, 2013 for a 20 percent rating for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine was granted.

The Veteran withdrew her claims for service connection for a neck / cervical spine disability, hypertension, and Vertigo / Meniere's Syndrome disabilities. As such, these claims are dismissed.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, neck/cervical spine, and back/spine disabilities. The Veteran's STRs were unremarkable for complaints of these conditions.,Service connection was not granted as the earliest clinical evidence of current symptoms is more than a decade after separation from service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection and evaluations for various conditions, including a right shoulder disorder, cervical spine disorder, lumbosacral strain with degenerative joint disease, sciatica of the left lower extremity, and sciatica of the right lower extremity. The remand requires addendum VA medical opinions on the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with its remand directives and has therefore ordered the claims for service connection for neck and hip disabilities to be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's cervical spine degenerative joint and disc disease is currently rated at 10 percent for the period prior to January 6, 2021, and denied for a rating in excess of 30 percent beginning on that date.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected cervical spine disability was denied from December 3, 2012 to November 23, 2019. On and after November 24, 2019, the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for the same condition was also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for corneal ulcers, bilateral foot disability, bilateral CTS, cervical spine disability, and right knee disability are not granted due to lack of current diagnoses. The cases have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's lumbar and cervical spine disabilities are granted as service connected, with the weight of evidence supporting that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to non-compliance with previous remand directives, specifically regarding obtaining a medical opinion on occupational and functional impairment caused by service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various disabilities, including anxiety and depression, neck disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, back disability, vertigo, sleeping disorder (including sleep apnea), and Meniere's syndrome. The Veteran is asked to provide authorization for VA to obtain records from University of Western States chiropractic school in Portland, Oregon.

The Veteran's neck disorder, to include degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, is currently rated at 30 percent for the period beginning November 14, 2017.,An earlier effective date of July 10, 2008, has been granted for the award of service connection and a 20 percent evaluation for the neck disorder.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 100 percent, and he meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU. However, there is no evidence that any single service-connected condition prevents him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, finding the evidence not in balance against a finding that these conditions did not begin during or are related to active duty service. The Veteran's claims for TDIU were also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, and the rating reductions were not proper. The appeals are remanded to further develop evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to January 12, 2015.

The Veteran's appeal of the claim for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed. The Board also remanded several other claims, including those for an acquired psychiatric disorder and various musculoskeletal disabilities.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disability and GERD.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasons and bases in its previous decision regarding the Veteran's neck disability, specifically related to functional loss during flare-ups.