Neck / cervical spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine, sinus, and headache disabilities due to inconsistencies in his statements regarding when he first experienced symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and compliance with VA examination requirements.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for polysubstance abuse, which was secondary to his service-connected PTSD, has been granted. The appeal is dismissed as there is no longer a controversy.

The Board has remanded the claims for new opinions due to inadequate previous examinations. The VA will need to provide a thorough examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the neck and back disabilities, including whether they are related to service or secondary to other conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder, right knee disorder, and right ankle disorder. The Board found that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.,The VA examiner noted that the Veteran’s neck pain began in 1992 after an accident during training exercises, but there were no complaints or diagnoses of a cervical spine condition until 2014.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate opinions regarding whether the Veteran's neck disability is aggravated by her service-connected PTSD. The examiner needs to provide a new opinion addressing this issue.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine degenerative disc disease and migraine headaches due to inadequate examination reports and lack of proper development.

The Board has decided one issue on appeal and remanded the remaining issues for further development. Additional development is necessary, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, as well as a sinus condition. The reasons include insufficient rationale in the previous opinions and need for updated treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected compression fracture of the L-1 vertebral body and degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine have been rated at 20 percent since March 28, 2012. The appeal for increased ratings has been denied.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a thyroid disorder is granted, and he is assigned an initial schedular rating of 100 percent for PTSD. The claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability, neck disability, forehead scar, left hand scar, and forehead scar are denied.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, unspecified depressive disorder, is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's neck disability (degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine) is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's right arm disability (right olecranon bursitis and degenerative arthritis) is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's left arm disability, to include osteoarthritis of the wrist, is remanded for further development.,The Veteran's right hand disability (right elbow disability) is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's left hand disability (osteoarthritis of the wrist) is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is remanded to determine if it was aggravated by his third period of active duty or related to his first two periods.

The Board denied service connection for left wrist and right ankle disabilities. It also denied increased ratings for left hip arthritis, right hip extension limitation, and right hip abduction limitation.,However, the Veteran was granted a 10% rating for left hip degenerative joint disease from October 13, 2015 to January 6, 2020, and a 20% rating for right hip flexion limitation on and after September 11, 2015. The Veteran's total unemployability prior to March 6, 2018 was also remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disability claimed as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine myositis, including focal annular tear/small left paracentral disc protrusion at L5/S1. The claim of service connection for a right shoulder disability is remanded due to inadequate previous VA examination.

Service connection for hypertension was denied.,The Veteran's left knee limitation of flexion and instability were not granted increased ratings, but a 10% rating was granted prior to February 24, 2015, and a 20% rating from February 24, 2015 through April 17, 2016.,The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome was granted a 40% rating prior to April 18, 2016 and denied for higher ratings thereafter. ,Service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve and left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve were not granted increased ratings.,Service connection for ankylosing spondylosis and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine was granted, but denied for higher ratings.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical spine disability and RUE radiculopathy were denied. The Board found that the disabilities did not meet or approximate criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU from October 4, 2005 through April 18, 2007 due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder arthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, right knee arthritis, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to new evidence received after the April 2016 rating decision. The Veteran reported incidents of falling from aircraft during service which may be related to his current disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is granted service connection due to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for cervical spine, left wrist, and lumbar spine disabilities are denied as there is no credible evidence of such injuries during service or within one year thereafter.