Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues related to the ratings of his service-connected conditions, including degenerative lumbosacral disc disease with sacroiliac joint dysfunction, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, left knee chondromalacia patella, right knee chondromalacia patella, left ankle avulsion fracture, and scalp laceration scar.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right ankle disorders, as well as cervical spine disorder, have been denied. The Board found no current disability associated with the ankles or cervical spine, either by diagnosis or functional impairment. There are also no objective indications of chronic undiagnosed disability associated with these conditions that manifested during service or to a degree of 10 percent or more following service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the cervical spine, lumbar spine, and upper extremity radiculopathy claims due to the need for retrospective medical opinions. The remaining issues are remanded for readjudication.

The Veteran is granted an initial 20 percent rating for his cervical spine disability from December 21, 2007 to February 13, 2009. The lumbar spine disability remains rated at 20 percent prior to February 12, 2020 and at 40 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's service connection for migraine headaches is granted. The rating for pansinusitis prior to August 7, 2019, is increased to 30 percent; however, the rating as of August 7, 2019, remains at 50 percent. The rating for hiatal hernia with GERD prior to August 7, 2019, is denied. The rating for cervical spine disability and right carpal tunnel syndrome with radiculopathy are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and secondary service connection due to lack of medical evidence linking the Veteran's current conditions to his military service or any in-service events.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination due to inadequate previous examinations. The issues of service connection for various conditions are being reviewed.

The Veteran's initial rating for cervical degenerative disc disease and intervertebral disc syndrome was increased to 30 percent effective August 11, 2011. The Veteran's initial rating for lumbosacral and thoracic degenerative disc disease was increased to 40 percent effective August 6, 2009.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and brain aneurysm, with the latter potentially secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's cervical strain was rated at 20 percent from July 1, 2011, to October 4, 2019. From October 4, 2019, to February 16, 2021, the rating was increased to 30 percent.

The Veteran's right knee disability is granted service connection, but hypertension and other spine, hip, and ankle disabilities are not. The claims for cervical spine, lumbar spine, hip, and ankle disabilities, as well as the rating of left knee disability in excess of 10 percent, and entitlement to TDIU are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine disability, seizure disorder as secondary to cervical spine disability, right lower extremity neuropathy as secondary to cervical spine disability, and left lower extremity neuropathy as secondary to cervical spine disability. The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and incomplete records. The Veteran is required to provide additional private treatment records from Highland Family Chiropractic.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding his exposure to Project SHAD and its associated toxins. The claims are now pending again with instructions to obtain addenda to the March 2021 examiner's opinions.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims due to the Veteran's death.

For the period prior to October 15, 2018, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.,From October 15, 2018, the Veteran was rendered unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate medical opinions and unclear diagnoses. The Veteran's cervical spine disability is related to service, but the VA examiner did not consider his self-reported symptoms. The left foot disabilities are also unclear in terms of which conditions are attributable to the service-connected fractures.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's low back strain, cervical spine strain, and radiculopathy of the upper extremities due to inadequate examination reports. The AOJ is instructed to schedule a new VA examination for the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition did not have its onset in service or within one year of service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's reported in-service injuries and his current cervical disability.

The Veteran's migraine headaches, cervical spine disability, low back disability, left knee disability, and right ankle disability are all remanded for further evaluation.