Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an addendum medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disability, including its relationship to service and any in-service injury or complaints of back pain.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development due to incomplete or conflicting medical evidence. The issues of increased ratings for left ankle fracture residuals with DJD, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, and left knee instability are being remanded.

The Veteran's healed right wrist fracture is rated at 10 percent, which is the highest rating available under DC 5215.,The Veteran's DDD of the cervical spine was initially granted but not rated higher than 20 percent prior to December 15, 2014. After that date, a 30 percent rating has been assigned.,Beginning December 15, 2014, the Veteran is entitled to a 30 percent rating for his DDD of the cervical spine.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the initial rating for anxiety, service connection for LUE radiculopathy, RUE radiculopathy, and cervical spine disability. The claims are dismissed.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to incomplete records and inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and evaluations to address the severity of her cervical strain, thoracolumbar strain, sleep apnea, tinea pedis with mycotic toenails, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. The appeals are also being remanded due to a lack of compliance with VA examination requirements.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for a neck disability and secondary service connection for right upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that these conditions are related to his in-service injuries.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability, neck disability, and headache disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and review, including addressing issues related to restoration of payments, effective dates for ratings, and service connection for radiculopathy. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for further development due to concerns about the qualifications of the VA examiners who provided the most recent examination reports. The Veteran's service connection claims related to bilateral shoulder, cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and left foot disorders are being returned to the AOJ for additional development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for back and neck disabilities due to a hazing incident in-service. The RO is instructed to obtain relevant records from the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, workers' compensation records, and private treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck disability and cervical radiculopathy, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hip disorder, left hip disorder, and cervical spine disorder due to insufficient evidence showing these conditions were incurred or caused by service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development due to inadequate examination reports and need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disability and migraine headache disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and records.,Specifically, the Board is requesting that VA obtain relevant treatment records from various sources and schedule the Veteran for further examination.

The Board has granted service connection for unspecified depressive disorder but denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, finding that it is less likely than not related to the Veteran's service-connected left shoulder impingement syndrome.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical spine disability, finding no current disability and no nexus to service.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability with degenerative joint disease is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical and lumbar spinal disabilities are at least as likely as not related to an in-service motor vehicle accident, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's cervical strain is rated at 30 percent, and his radiculopathy of the left and right upper extremities are each rated at 20 percent from December 7, 2009. The Veteran's ratings for radiculopathy have been denied as they exceed 20 percent.